Tatsuki: Vampire Slayer
by Darling Drusilla
Summary: When a mysterious one-eyed stranger comes into Tatsuki's life, she finds there is more to life than ghosts and the dead. There's also the undead and demons! A new destiny has been lain out before her, she is the Slayer. Slight Buffy xover.
1. Chime

She knew the moment the man walked into the family shop, chimes tinkling merrily, that this wasn't her normal encounter.

This man was something different, from an entirely different realm of existence and he'd done things no man should ever even have thought about doing. She'd heard of the apocalypse that had happened in Los Angeles, hell, portals to hell had been popping up all over the world, from Tokyo to London to, well, LA.

But the man who'd entered to chimes, he said she was one of the chosen warriors of the light. One of a select few with the power to kill these big nasties and that her sudden influx of superhuman powers was a mark of how special she was. She wouldn't even have to leave the country if she didn't want to. She could fight off the baddies with other Japanese slayers if she wanted.

Ironic really, that the old Spray Gang should be so focused on excluding her from battle when it was in her blood. When it was her destiny to fight the things that went bump in the night and ate the feet of children?

As he walked out and the chimes rang, she looked at the brochure for their school and chewed her lip. She'd always been proactive, and while she wouldn't be fighting side by side with her friends, well dammit she was going to do something!

She ran out the door quickly, hoping to catch the one eyed man. Wasn't she lucky to find him waiting for her?

~!~!~

The theme for this fic was "Chime". I may do a whole Tatsuki: Vampire Slayer series if I get enough reviews/encouragement.


	2. Loneliness

Tatsuki had never been the sit down and study kind of girl. Her life as a Slayer didn't help her in this department. In fact, she used it as an excuse to study altogether. A science paper was due, yes, but there were vampires running about and killing innocent, drunken, businessmen. There was Math homework to do, but there was also a minor demon eating people's brains. Maybe she did have a literature test in the morning, but there was a coup going on in the local fae court. School just didn't seem important in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps that was why she hadn't been too surprised when Miss Ochi called her up after class. That was why she only barely listened to the woman speak to her.

"Until further notice, Kunieda is going to be your study partner."

"What?"

"You heard me," Miss Ochi scowled. "Starting tonight she's going to be on your ass like white on rice. If your grades don't pull up, you're off the karate team. I don't care what your coach says."

"I, that...but...please no."

The door of the classroom slid open, revealing one Kunieda Ryo. She looked nearly as displeased as Tatsuki herself. It wasn't that Tatsuki disliked Ryo. They simply followed different trends and lived in different worlds. Socially and supernaturally. Ryo was the student council president, the only person with a higher GPA was Ishida and he was slipping, and when it came to love notes, she was constantly tossing them aside. Ryo was feminine and lithe while Tatsuki was tomboyish and doing all she could to keep her male teammates from gawking at her. Ryo had her college picked and her career path set while Tatsuki was just hoping to live past 18.

"My decision is final Arisawa." Miss Ochi folded her gradebook shut and slid it into her briefcase. "Ryo, thank you for stepping in. Normally I'd ask Kanto, but..."

"I understand." Ryo shifted her school bag to in front of her. "Arisawa, I would like to make this work. I would like it to pass as quickly and as painlessly as possible. The sooner we complete our assignments, the sooner we can both go back to our lives."

Yeah. Sure.

"So, do you want to start now?" Tatsuki asked as she followed the girl from the room. People were milling about, annoying boys who always seemed to be in her way. "I mean, my mom's out of town, again, so it should be pretty quiet."

"No." Ryo continued down the stairs. "I want to run through a normal day first. I want to see just what it is that distracts you so we can work out a way around it."

"My normal day?" Immediately images of vampire slaying popped into her mind. A month and a half ago she would have been in the dojo training for her next match. "Well, okay then."

Ryo followed her all the way home, their walk silent and discomforting. The boys who always walked behind her were louder than normal today. Maybe it was the lack of sleep that made them so irritating today. Maybe it was coming to the realization that she did need to spend a little less time sitting in graveyards waiting for the dead to rise. Maybe it was someone pointing out that she couldn't study with the people she normally did. Either way, Ryo's presence in her life was invasive and less than welcome. Tatsuki would be polite, and do everything her mother had always taught her to do when entertaining unwelcome guests.

Tatsuki paused to pick up a rock, throwing it at one of the louder boys. Her mother was always teasing her about them saying that Tatsuki must have inherited them from her father's side. Whatever that meant.

"Idiots, all of them."

"And they still follow you?" Ryo's question startled her.

"I guess they live nearby or something," Tatsuki answered finally. "They've been following me home since elementary school. Half the time they're just in the way while I try to go running."

Ryo was looking at her with a look one could only describe as disbelief.

"What?"

"Half of those boys live on the other side of town," Ryo spoke. She shook her head. "Three of them live in Naruki City, and the other two live closer to Kurosaki clinic."

"Boys are idiots." Tatsuki shifted her school bag and continued walking down the street towards home. It was almost in view now. "So, what made you agree to this in the first place?"

"I didn't have much else to do." Ryo stared ahead. "Chizuru is...rather focused on meeting her true love right now. Minako is planning a wedding for her sister and Student Council is running itself."

Tatsuki could understand. She could genuinely understand the feeling Ryo was having right now. A feeling of loneliness. It didn't make them best friends, but Tatsuki was willing to treat her with more than civility now.

The Arisawa family home loomed ahead of them. Tall and foreboding, built long before Kyoto had become the capital, it was possibly the oldest building in Karakura. Even if the inside had all the comforts of modern living. Ryo paused before she followed Tatsuki through the front gate. A lot of people paused before entering the place. Orihime had stopped visiting her home their second year of middle school because it frightened her so much.

"Your home is very nice."

"Really?" That was the first time anyone had called the Arisawa House 'nice'. Or anything positive really. "Thank you." She slid the front door open. "So, did you want to go running with me or...stay here?"

"I wanted to see what you did." Ryo was deadly serious. "So, let's go running."

It was nice to run with someone again. Before, she'd run with Ichigo or her teammates, but most of them had died. What few club members remained were weaker than the rest, forcing Tatsuki to hold back as she fought. It wasn't even fun anymore. It wasn't like fighting something on equal ground with the full intent to kill. Ichigo hadn't gone running with her since the first month of freshmen year.

"You never used to keep pace with me during exams." Ryo was glancing at her from the corner of her eye. They were turning around a bend, preparing to jog over the wooden bridge that marked the halfway point.

"Things change," Tatsuki settled on saying. "I started running to clear my head. Got better I guess."

"No kata?" Ryo asked. The running path was uneven now, up and down, littered with river rocks.

"No. I've actually been wondering if I shouldn't resign." Tatsuki hopped from one stone to the more even ground, Ryo right behind her. "Focus on my life a bti more." The staying alive part of it.

"If you do, you may want to consider Track."

Tatsuki glaned over at her running partner. "You think so?"

Ryo made a noise of assent and they continued on the way back. The house must have been less intimidating this time around, Ryo didn't even pause or look uneasy as they entered the yard and the home. She seemed, relaxed. Even after they'd both showered and sat down to study. Even Tatsuki felt relaxed. People didn't enter her home often, they didn't see her bedroom often or sit at the dining room table with her at dinner time. They didn't ask to use her phone to tell their parents they wer running late.

It was the indigo night that alarmed Tatsuki. It had been daylight only moments ago. Two, thre...eight pages ago. And three subjects. And dinner.

"We'll pick up on this tomorrow," Ryo began to pack her things up. "My mother is...well. I need to head home."

"I'll walk with you." Tatsuki rose as well. "It can get a little sketchy around here at night."

"I'll be fine," Ryo waved her off. "I have a taser."

Tatsuki wished she could be alright with that. She wished she could just go back to being ignorant enough to let the student council president walk out of her door until tomorrow. She was the Slayer and blatant disregard for human life was not in the job description. It was not in the description of Tatsuki herself. She protected people, she always had and she would keep doing so until the day she died. So she followed Ryo, much to the other girl's annoyance.

"I'm not Orihime," Ryo finally told her. Her voice was cold and disapproving.

"I know you aren't." Tatsuki could feel them on the edge of her senses. They were closing in. "Why would you even bring her up?"

"Can you honestly tell me you aren't trying to replace her with me?"

"Yes, I can." She could feel one of them in the treetops above them. "I wouldn't want to replace her, because right now I don't want to be near her."

Tatsuki pulled the stake from under her shirt as the final word left her mouth, raising it above her head to impale the falling fang. She saw the look of horror on Ryo's face, fear of Tatsuki herself, before the dust showered them both. A second and a third were coming from behind the trees. The second wearing a hideous lime green and salmon colored vest; Tatsuki kicked him into a broken limb, destroying both vampire and shirt. The third nearly grabbed Ryo, but the runner sent an elbow to his face, stunning him long enough for Tatsuki to throw her stake through the creature's heart. The cry of a fourth vampire made Tatsuki turn her head. Standing there was a high school girl, a girl who'd graduated only two years before Tatsuki and Ryo had. Behind her stood another young woman, recently risen with hunger in her eyes.

"Jeez, talk about babies making babies." Tatsuki put her hands on her hips, feeling the comfortable solidity of her stake; she could hear Ryo snort from behind her. "At least you made it out of high school Kana."

"Too bad you won't."

Kana grinned and her game face slid on. She lunged for Tatsuki while the fledgling went for Ryo. Kana was quick, but Tatsuki was quicker. She was dust before her hands settled upon the slayer's shoulders. There was no time to sit and grin at the pile of dust, not when Ryo was being pinned by a hungry fledgling. The stake plunged through her back, held not by the slayer, but the track star who was smart enough to pay attention during a fight. As Tatsuki helped her up, she could see the other girl's world fracture and shift. She could see that her shortness of breath had more to do with shock than near death.

"I told you, you're not a replacement."

Tatsuki pulled the stake from Ryo's trembling hands and continued escorting her home. There were no further vampire attacks. There was only Ryo coming to terms with the fact that vampires Did exist and Tatsuki fought them. Ryo's shakiness was explained away easily. They'd been jumped by a gang hopped up on PCP. Kunieda-san had been...disinterested in the event. It made Tatsuki wonder just what she'd brought Ryo home to. Rather than pry, Tatsuki bid the runner a good night and returned home, intent on going straight from shower to bed. That sounded like a lovely plan.

Her stakes went back into her bag and Tatsuki herself began to strip the second she shut the front door. Mother was never home, and Tatsuki's father was just a donor so far as both women were concerned. Tatsuki loved her mother dearly, even if she was often gone on business. Arisawa Mai had been the best mother she could have asked for. Whenever Tatsuki needed her most, she was there, from watching her at tournaments to just smoothing her hair back when she cried. Her mother couldn't know about this though. Not yet, maybe not ever. She'd be thrown into a sanatorium quicker than she could say Vampire. Whats that dear? Vampires you say? Yes, well these nice men are taking you to a day spa.

Maybe that was why Ryo's presence the next morning was surprising. The girl was standing there with determination on her face and a school bag in her hands.

"Good morning," Tatsuki greeted her as she shut the door. She could see the cleaning lady just outside of the fence. The cook would be by later, just before Tatsuki got home from school.

"I've decided not to report you for having a job." Ryo's words were blunt and to the point. "The work you do is important, and obviously needed."

"It's not really a job," Tatsuki pointed out as the girl walked down the street with her. "I mean, I don't get paid, and the only way to quit is to die."

"That is exactly why I'm not reporting you." Ryo looked over at Tatsuki. "Last night was...were those really monsters?"

"Vampires," Tatsuki nodded. "There are other things, Kitsune-san runs an amazing ramen shop if you want to hit it up after school."

Ryo paused.

"I think that would be something I'd like to do."

The two girls continued their trek to the bus stop, Ryo asking questions every so often regarding vampire myths as compared to the real thing. Garlic was a hit and miss thing. Sometimes they hated it, sometimes it was just a minor food allergy. Crosses always worked, unless the vampire was really powerful, in which case it was just annoying. Holy water always worked. The non acidic version of sulphuric acid. Tatsuki kept some in a perfume bottle in her bag, Ryo probably should too. Nah, it wasn't too hard to get, just nab some from a local shrine. The priests practically gave the stuff away.

"There's supposed to be an oni sealed under Tsukimori shrine."

"Really?"

The two of them were passing through the school gates now. Words needed to be minced and minded. There were still boys milling around, giving the two of them a wide berth as they milled around. A few of them thought it would be a great plan to cut Tatsuki off to get to the door; they ended up being pushed a little more forcefully than a normal human girl might push them. It was like men just started flocking to her once she became a slayer. Like she turned into some kind of flame they all wanted to touch. Tatsuki stretched her hand and reminded herself to mind the strength, keep an eye on her speed, and most importantly, don't draw attention to herself. She didn't need the whole town knowing she was a slayer and shoving a kid through a wall was a sure fire way to get noticed.

"Tatsuki, I've come up with a plan."

The slayer looked up at Ryo. She was standing over Tatsuki, books in one arm and already wearing her loafers. Tatsuki needed to quit getting so lost in her thoughts.

"Oh?"

"Yes. I'm going to let you check your work against mine."

Th slayer blinked in surprise. Kunieda Ryo never let anyone look at her work.

"I...thank you Ryo."

"What's a math assignment compared to human life?" Ryo handed Tatsuki a sheet of paper. "I may have had my brother fill out the rest for you."

Tatsuki looked down at last night's math homework to see her own writing staring up at her. Every problem answered. She hadn't turned in a completed math assignment since she'd become the slayer. A whole month and a half of half and less than half done assignments.

"He's good at faking people's signatures." Ryo took Tatsuki by the elbow and pulled her up. "But from now on, you're doing it."

"Of course," Tatsuki nodded. "Uhm, I actually have a codex back home. About...the council sent it to me to help me through the night." She looked over at Ryo as they climbed the stairs to first session. "If you're interested in helping me study that part too."

"Your study habits are atrocious." Though she wasn't smiling, Tatsuki could see a twinkle in Ryo's eye. "We'll study again tonight."

"Sounds like a plan oh Watcher mine."

First and second sessions passed, a ten minute break giving the girls a few more moments to speak with one another. Not about slaying or even tutoring, but about what Tatsuki was planning to do if she really did quit the karate club. That single whispered sentence began to fly across the classroom like wildfire. The slayer gave a sarcastic thanks to the flamboyant redhead who'd spouted off about it. Just as the idiot boys at the school, Chizuru had started harassing Tatsuki as well. She wasn't nearly so physical with Tatsuki as she had been with Orihime, but it was still enough to bother the slayer.

"Looks like you inherited Inoue's stalkers," Ryo peered over the edge of her book. Chizuru was laying on the floor, trying to peek up Tatsuki's skirt.

Inheirited? Tatsuki furrowed her brows as she shifted to the side to avoid the serpentine motions of the girl on the floor. One stalker didn't make...but the rest of the boys getting in her way, and the new ones from yesterday. It suddenly made sense, what her mother had meant about Tatsuki getting people from her father. It wasn't slayerdom, it was stupid puberty catching up with her!

"I blame my father for it," Tatsuki finally pushed Chizuru's head away with her foot.

"Your father?" It was Mizuiro who asked. The whole room seemed to stop and listen. Even Chizuru.

"Yeah, my father." Tatsuki pushed Chizuru away once more. "I guess he used to be a real...not a lady's man..."

"A people person?" Mizuiro asked.

"Sounds perfect," Tatsuki snorted. "Anyway, he met my mother at a bar and for three months he followed her around. She wouldn't even look at him. So one day, he made a public vow to never look at another woman until my mother came to see him."

"I remember that!" Keigo shouted. "Masada Akihiro, the famous model and cage fighter!"

Almost everyone knew who he was. Part time model, master of Vale Tudo, and well known for an undeniable sex appeal. He was rumored to have turned straight men gay and gotten women pregnant just by looking at them. Now they were all looking at Tatsuki expectantly. Why? She had no idea. It's not like she was suddenly going to turn into Benten of Karakura. Miss Ochi's return was the only thing that made them leave her alone. Miss Ochi and a very plain looking woman.

"Oi! Pay attention, Arisawa, quit distracting people."

Tatsuki's eyes widened in surprise before she released a sigh. Ryo let out a quiet snort beside her nd a few others whispered some strange comments.

"Pay attention means quit talking," Ochi scowled at them. "Ragamuffins...meet your new Lit 3 teacher, Yukimura Keiko." Ochi reminded the new teacher of a few of the finer details before she left the room. It was just the new girl and the old class.

"Well, she's certainly scary," Yukimura stared after the door. She turned back to the class and introduced herself fully. She was from Tokyo, Sarayashiki district, but she'd transferred down form Hokkaido. She was recently engaged and always willing to lend an ear.

"So, why don't we open our books to page 16."

The more Yukimura talked, the more Tatsuki was convinced this woman was not only strange, but borderline inept and possibly a demon. Sure, Ochi was crazy and she yelled a lot, but this woman was just too nice. She was hiding something, and at lunch, she shared her thoughts with those around her.

Keigo and Mizuiro were to her left, taking Ichigo's assignment far too seriously, while Ryo, Chizuru, and Mina closed the circle. It was very strange, having two overly flamboyant people in the same group. Once, Tatsuki would have thought how those left behind were making due with what was left. Once she became the Slayer, thoughts like that disappeared. She wasn't left behind, she was just waiting for her own destiny to come in and say something.

"She's a teacher," Keigo pointed out. "You're nto supposed to trust anything they say. Except for the subject. Maybe."

"I'm serious," Tatsuki argued. "She gives me a strange vibe."

"Would you like me to give you some better vibrations?" Chizuru leaned forward. She was leering at Tatsuki, smiling like a wolf as her eyes directed themselves towards Tatsuki's hips.

"You so much as touch me and I'm throwing you off of this roof." tatsuki drew her knees tighter together and set her lunch down on her lap. If it wasn't Chizuru it was something else. Five times in between the beginning of lunch and now, Tatsuki had been harassed by someone. Two of them had been wearing strange badges and the other three had been from a different school.

"Maybe if you dyed your hair orange you'd have better luck." Mizuiro's offhanded comment made each of them stop to stare. "What? The whole school knows Tsuki-san."

"It's true," Mina nodded. "I think Dragon-Moon club had a party the day they found out Kurosaki and the others left."

"What? What the hell is the Dragon Moon club?" Tatsuki heard a faint thump somewhere below her, but her attention went back to those in front of her and the lunch in her lap. Cook had been making larger lunches for her recently; apparently she didn't like to have Tatsuki staring hungrily over her shoulder after school.

"You remember those boys who were following you yesterday, and the ones who are always bothering you at school?" Ryo asked. When Tatsuki nodded, mouth full of rice, she continued. "That is the Dragon-Moon club. They're a fan club of sorts."

"For what?" there was a slightly niggling feeling in the back of her mind. When no one answered her immidiately, the niggling sensation turned into a blaring horn of realization. "You're kidding me. Why? How come I never noticed them before?"

"I honestly have no idea how you didn't notice," Mina shook her head. "I mean, they're always following you. Didn't you ever notice that your locker was always full on holidays? Or on your birthday?"

"I always just threw that crap away or gave it to Orihime." Tatsuki couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was entirely her father's fault. All of it. "I mean, her locker was always full of them, so I assumed they were just using mine for excess."

"It's been the other way around for years," Keigo laughed. "Didn't you ever read the tags? On any of them?"

"No."

"Not once? In all the years?" Ryo turned to face her. "Not even in elementary or middle school?"

"No." The faint thump had sounded again, along with the faint sound of crying. Tatsuki leaned over to get a look at the ground below them. No less than five teenaged boys were laying on the ground, sound equipment in their hands and tears on their faces. "Jesus...what a waste of time."

"Not to them," Mina spoke very seriously. Everyone else was still laughing. "Now that Kurosaki and the others have gone, they think they have a chance. The girls division sees Orihime's absence as their chance."

What a waste of time.

~!~

~!~!~

~!~

Okay. I know, it's not nearly so long as everything else i've been pumping out lately, but this is going to be my peppy happy fic. Also! It's based on 15kurosaki's 100 theme challenge on livejournal. Even though the deadline was in 2007, the challenge sounded like fun. So every chapter title corresponds with a theme, some chapters will have multiple themes in them.

Benten – Benzaiten, the Japanese goddess of love, music, poetry, and eloquence. Supposedly, an evil dragon was so amazed by her beauty and goodness that he turned good. Eventually he became her husband.


	3. Sword

Sword

The council was right, having a Watcher made life a helluva lot easier. She'd been arguing it for a long time now, insisting that she didn't need one every time they tried to send one her way. The problem was, there weren't very many very Japanese speaking watchers left. Not many council approved ones at least. When they called her last night, happy that they'd finally found someone with at least a basic grasp on the Japanese language, she'd cut them off before they even suggested sending the man. She had a watcher now. One she picked herself. Someone who was smart, and much better at doing research than the slayer was. It took a good minute or so to convince them that yes, Ryo was athletic enough to dodge, hold a crossbow, and she was damn near fearless when it came down to it.

Dawn had been close to thrilled to hear all of that. She was also sending Tatsuki the new 'Starter Slayer Pack' and a new update for the codex tablet. Something exploded before Tatsuki could ask what was in the pack, Dawn had given a hurried goodbye along with the promise for a standard watcher pack before hanging up.

She only hoped her slayer pack would have some kind of special stake or spell that would make her current situation more bearable. The was a need inside of her now, and every time she got into a fight, it go worse. It screamed at her until she fed it, clawing against the inside of her skull and bringing fire to her blood.

"You okay?"

Tatsuki tilted her head back against the cool metal of the tombstone behind her. Ryo was still holding a crossbow. She wasn't a great shot, but she was getting better. She hadn't hit Tatsuki once tonight. They were waiting for a fledgling to rise right now, the makers of said vampire mere piles of dust on the ground.

"H&H," Tatsuki waved it off. Ryo was still looking at her though. "It's a slayer thing. I just need to eat something and I'll be fine."

"You get hungry after fighting vampires?" Ryo asked with a raised brow.

"Yup." Tatsuki could see the doubt on Ryo's face. "Really hungry, for everything." Ryo was still staring at her. "Like...the kind of thing men and women do."

"You mean sex," Ryo set the crossbow against her leg and began to reload it. "You fight vampires and you get horny."

Tatsuki looked down at the stake in her lap. While she was quiet, and didn't say anything unless it needed to be said, Ryo was very blunt about things. Blunt in a way even Tatsuki couldn't manage. She didn't sugar coat her words and she absolutely hated when people beat around the bush. It was something Tatsuki was learning to like about the girl.

"Say it with me. 'When I fight vampires, I get horny'."

"I'm not saying it." Tatsuki crossed her arms in front of herself.

"Why? It's just sex." Ryo tilted her head at Tatsuki. "You're still a virgin aren't you?"

"So what?"

"Nothing. It makes a bit more sense though." Ryo sat on the tombstone across from Tatsuki. "The way you dress, the way you act around guys." She smirked. "I think I'm going to sell this little tidbit to the the Dragon Moon Club."

"Don't you dare!" Tatsuki laughed. "Jeez, it's bad enough you keep selling them pictures of my house."

"I give you half," Ryo snorted. She set her crossbow over her shoulder. "and you didn't complain at all when you saw what I got for a picture of your bedroom."

Tatsuki let out a chuckle as she remembered the day Ryo had sold the photo. In the middle of the school yard no less! She'd kicked Keigo into a kneeling position and stood on his back, auctioning off the photo while Tatsuki and Mizuiro stood behind her, waiting for the outcome. Tatsuki did have to admit that since she'd realized Dragon Moon existed, life had been a bit less stressful. She'd gotten a sudden influx in spending money too. Since that first shot of Tatsuki's bedroom was sold, Ryo had been selling photographs/information every Friday in the school yard.

"Is it something important to you?" Ryo asked as the fledgeling began to break through the ground. It was taking a good while for the little brat to get out of his coffin. "Your 'purity'?"

"I dunno," Tatsuki shrugged. "I need a sword or something. I could just take it's head off once it popped out of the dirt."

"Or an ax." Ryo shifted in her spot. "Have you been saving it for someone?"

"No," Tatsuki sighed. She pushed herself up off of the ground and loomed over the rising hand. "I just, don't get approached by guys that often. Between Dragon Moon and Ichigo scowling at all of my teammates, no one ever seemed interested. I'm always called a tomboy, or butch, and even fewer guys come near me because they think I like girls. But even girls don't come near because...it's really frustrating, you know?"

The vampire was out to the elbow now, hand flailing around comically until it found purchase on the solid earth. She was five seconds from pulling the damn thing up and ending it's miserable unlife.

"I can see that." Ryo came to sit on the tombstone of their newly risen. "If it did happen though, would you wait? Until you had a Missus in front of your name?"

"I don't know. I kind of stopped thinking about it until all of this happened." Tatsuki pursed her lips and reached down to tear the vampire from the ground. The creature blinked at her in confusion as it came face to face with a frustrated and hungry slayer. It didn't even have a chance to bear it's fangs before she turned him into so much dust. "Let's go hit up Kitsune-san's. I'm starving."

The two girls made their way towards the ramen stand with little to no incident. A few drunken club goers got into a fight, some minor demons scurried off, nothing more than a stray tooth faery or akateko enjoying the moonlight. The two arrived just as a few other spirits were leaving, friendly bows and smiles exchanged before the girls took their seats. A Bird-like spirit was having a discussion with a mouse regarding the overabundance of ghosts.

"Ah! Now see," The heron turned to look at Tatsuki and Ryo. "Here, we have a slayer, she's doing her job. She's only hunting troublemakers. Vampires, ghouls, oni."

"Thank you?" Tatsuki asked. "I can't take down ghosts though. That's a bit out of my jurisdiction."

"Understandable," the mouse nodded from his place. He was chewing happily on a cracker as his own moue sized bowl of ramen sat steaming before him. "I'd no more try to to fight Byakko."

"And will you be having the usual Tsuki-chan?" The fox was peering down at her over the counter.

"Yeah," Tatsuki nodded. "Hunting was really annoying tonight."

"Two new fledgelings," Ryo explained. "One of which we had to dig up ourselves because he couldn't figure out which way was up."

The heron shook his head with a sigh. "So irresponsible. In my day, they'd take the body from the temple and keep it in a cave somewhere. Now, they just leave them in the dirt all willy nilly."

"They crunch half of the roads while they try to climb out," the mouse agreed. "You should think about staking them while they're still in the morgue."

Tatsuki hadn't considered that option. She could always sense a vampire, even if they hadn't become fully fanged, even if they were still in the ground, she always knew where they were. Breaking into a hospital wouldn't be too hard. Especially if she nicked someone's keys. Or just went in during slow hours...Tatsuki glanced over at Ryo to see a bolt pointing at her face.

"If you even think about sending me into the hospital I will shoot you on purpose."

"I wasn't thinking that!" Tatsuki defended. "One of the club boys had to go in for surgery yesterday. I was thinking we could pay him a visit."

Ryo blinked at her before pulling the bolt away. A planning smirk was on her face and Tatsuki could see the dollar signs in her eyes. "That's a good plan."

Tatsuki shifted in her seat the next morning, fully aware of the stares she was getting. It was the first day of school where she wasn't going to practice immediately after class. No practice mean no duffel bag full of gear and no need to wear her sports bra until PE class. It meant getting stared at because for once she was wearing the nice ones her mother often bought for her and wearing a different shirt underneath her blazer because the normal school ones didn't fit quite right anymore. It meant getting stared at the whole way too school, at school, and more than likely as she went home. It meant having people who weren't even in the Dragon Moon Club stare at her like she was magical. It meant watching as fights broke out because someone had said she'd gotten surgery and another person was defending her honor. A damn turf war was breaking out!

It was getting annoying.

"Hello girls," Keigo greeted as he stood between Tatsuki and Ryo's desks. "Tsuki-chan seems to be embracing her feminine side."

"She could have just called me," Chizuru popped up from behind them. Her hands came to rest on either side of Tatsuki as she leaned on the desk. "I'd love to embrace it."

"I swear to god Chizuru," Tatsuki sighed. "I am not interested."

"I know, that's what makes me want you more." The redheaded girl swung around to sit on Momohara's desk, much to the boy's annoyance. "Oh don't give me that look Momo, look at her!"

"He has been," Ryo answered for the boy. "Tatsuki, you missed one here."

Tatsuki glanced over at the papers on Ryo's desk. Of course she'd missed one. They' come up with the plan for Tatsuki to miss up to three problems per assignment this month. Next month she was only going to miss one or two. By the end of the year she wasn't going to have problems at all.

"Can I see?" Keigo reached for the paper only to have his hand smacked by Ryo. "Tatsuki-chan! Ryo's being mean to me!"

"She does that," Tatsuki shrugged as Yukimura walked in. Where was Miss Ochi?

The mousey haired woman looked worried, confused even as she began to write on the board. Her silence only made the students inside of the room tense. The fact that she was taking over Ochi's lesson pan made them worry. The entire class was silent as she finished writing the assignment on the board, simple busy work, work they'd been told to skip last night because it was more of the same. She sat down at the desk, pulling a folder from her briefcase and leaving the students to their silence. The silence was deafening and Tatsuki could feel the buzz of people around her, edgy, jittery, like animals waiting for slaughter. It made the slayer inside of her pace and prowl. Something was very wrong and Yukimura was giving off that strange vibe again.

She was about to go off when her cellphone vibrated. It was through sheer force of will that she managed not to squeak when it went off from within her bra. Glancing up to see if Yukimura was even watching -she wasn't- Tatsuki reached into her blazer and pulled the device out. Ryo had sent her a text asking if her slayer senses were tingling yet. No, they weren't tingling, but they were starting to wake up. Tatsuki glanced around the room once more, seeing that nearly every student was communicating silently with one another. Yukimura didn't even care.

"Yukimura?" Tatsuki raised her hand. "Is it alright if I go to the library? There's something I wanted to look up before next period."

Yukimura waved her on, barely looking up to see who asked. When Ryo came along behind her, she only yawned. Tatsuki's slayer senses were definitely waking up. Little tiny pinpricks of something were making her turn whenever they passed a room, making her move out of the way as she and Ryo went through the halls. There was something very odd going in in Karakura High School. As they passed a classroom, she could get a glimpse at just how odd.

"Is that?" Ryo whispered at Tatsuki.

"I think so," Tatsuki nodded, moving back from the open doorway.

Mr. Yamata, the computers teacher, was inside of the room with one of his students. They were not studying, or talking, they were naked and groaning on top of his desk.

"There's something surrounding them."

The two girls jumped at the sound of Mizuiro's voice. He was standing behind them, concern and determination on his features while Keigo was strangely silent beside him. Keigo was carrying their backpacks with him, handing each girl their bag before shouldering his own.

"You can see something?" Tatsuki asked in a whisper. "I've been able to sense it, but you? You can see it?"

"Yes, I've been seeing it trickle around town since late last night." Mizuiro looked around the hallway, picking a path and motioning for the girls to follow. "What are you doing?"

She nearly lied. Nearly told them to go stay out of trouble. She couldn't. Not when they'd both been told as much by Ichigo. The boys deserved to know, and if Mizuiro could help, she needed to keep an eye on him. Keigo was making an effort to be helpful too. So she told them the short version. She was a demon hunter and vampire slayer. That was her destiny. The whole time, they were walking along a particular path, avoiding patches of the twisted energy while dodging students and teachers alike. Twice they'd come upon a fistfight, teachers trying to pull students apart while trying not to fight each other as well. They made it to the school yard before any of them spoke up again; Tatsuki was pulling them over the wall.

"It's the demon." Ryo was tilting on the brick wall, steadied only by Keigo's hand on her arm. Only when she had a firm grip on the cement did she continue. "The demon sealed under Tsukimori shrine was an amanojaku."

Mizuiro clambered up next, Obviously not quite used to this sort of activity.

"What do they do?" Tatsuki asked as she hopped down on the other side. She caught the backpacks before she readied herself for the weight of her friends. Keigo climbed down on his own, moving to help Tatsuki basket catch the next person.

"They make people misbehave," Keigo answered. The first words he'd spoken since they Yukimura entered earlier. Ryo was almost pushed down by Mizuiro, but she landed in their arms easily enough. "Amanojaku target a specific fault in a person, the thing they keep tied down tightest, and then the amplify it. Sloth, Lust, Wrath..."

When Mizuiro came down, they began the trek to Tatsuki's house. Mizuiro and Tatsuki taking the lead while the other two stuck close in between them. More and more fights were breaking out as they moved through town. Sometimes, the cops would be involved in the fights, sometimes they would sit and watch. Sometimes, they could see people arguing or stealing. And as they passed the park just before Tatsuki's house, they could see members of the dragon Moon club doing unspeakable things to an inflatable doll.

Things Tatsuki didn't even want to remember as she sat in her mother's kitchen, sipping cocoa.

Mizuiro had said her house was clean. Not just clean, but protected as well. Centuries of protective spells were woven all around the building and within each stone and board. He could feel warnings and welcomes all at once. Protection and aggression from the same front gate.

"It has been up for a long time," Tatsuki admitted. "Mother says our ancestors were paranoid, so a few spells warding off evil doesn't seem so crazy." She snorted. "Especially when you look at What is running around this town."

Her comment seemed to make all of them chuckle, giggle, or laugh. The laughter continued, deeper, resigned and hysterical as they realized that yes. This was their life. When they weren't running from ghosts, they were dodging demons and witches and trying not to pay attention to strange fan-clubs while they staked vampires.

The boys seemed more than interested in what she did when the word Vampire came up. Before she was just leading them away from a trail of demonic energy and yes, there might be a demon, but all of that wasn't nearly so interesting as vampires. When they found out Ryo had not only known, but she'd been helping, they were especially interested. The four moved from the kitchen to the living room, Tatsuki explaining what she could while Ryo filled in the blanks.

"I'm really more of a cheerleader," Ryo waved it off as Tatsuki searched for the remote. A car crash was heard outside, making all of them pause.

"A watcher is more like a coach," Tatsuki stood up with the device in hand. "But it's true, you're a terrible shot."

"Maybe I can try it?" Keigo asked. Ryo glared. "Or not. I can live with not."

The TV flickered on, straight to the evening news, only it wasn't evening yet. This was a breaking report on what was about to become a citywide riot. The news was claiming the citizens of Karakura were protesting the events of the banking system, someone claimed they were angry over the treatment of tsunami and earthquake survivors. Someone else, someone only on for a few moments, claimed it was aliens. They were about to turn it off until the newscasters pointed out the epicenter of the riots. Tsukimori Shrine itself was calm and protected, it was safe, but all around, there was nothing but chaos.

"It's moving," Mizuiro knelt in front of the TV. "They haven't noticed it yet, but the demon is moving. Look at where it's more concentrated."

"Towards the warehouse district," Keigo agreed. "Maybe it's going home?"

Ryo didn't access the codex for this one, instead, she pulled out a notebook. Her own Watcher's diary was a compilation of local myths and legends, creatures and spirits exclusive to Karakura. Bounts, Hollows, Shinigami; half of her information had been pulled out of Urahara a few weeks previously. The shop-keep had been wary until Tatsuki told him she was the Slayer. He'd been around long enough, and known enough Slayer spirits in his Gotei days, to know the lifespan of a slayer was a short one without someone to help her out. Knowledge was more than power, he'd said. It was living to see the sun rise.

"Urahara-san said the warehouse district used to be hills," Ryo hummed as she flipped through.

She turned the codex on and accessed what Slayer HQ had on Oni. A surprisingly small amount of information had been gathered by the council, then again, Japan still had the smallest number of Slayers in it. Before the Calling, Japan could only claim two Slayers out of the lineage. It made Tatsuki feel somewhat special. As Ryo searched, Tatsuki lifted the couch to grab the crossbow underneath.

"Okay, according to what the council has, Amanojaku live in caves and under bridges." Ryo wrinkled her nose at that. "I think they have them confused with Western ogres."

"More than likely," Keigo agreed. He was clinging to the arm of the couch, watching as Tatsuki looked the weapon in her hands over. "I think you're going to need something bigger than that Tatsuki-chan."

Tatsuki looked up at the boy. "Where do you suggest I find something like that?"

"You could rob the museum." Everyone turned to stare at Mizuiro. "What? They have a new collection of swords in. with all the looting that's going on, I doubt anyone would even notice."

"Can we wear ski masks?" Keigo turned to the slayer. "Please? Please, let me wear a ski mask while we rob the museum!"

"I don't have any ski masks," Tatsuki grumbled as she dropped the couch. She ignored Keigo's yelp as she considered her options. She didn't have many. "I think there might be some Noh masks in the attic though."

~!~

"Are you ready to do this?"

Tatsuki looked over to see a deigan staring back at her. The fight over who got to wear which mask had almost been amusing. Tatsuki herself had grabbed the wakaonna mask. The Chujo to her right was nearly buzzing with excitement, back to his usual, flamboyant self with the prospect of robbing a museum. The doji was quietly leading them through the clouds of miasma, keeping each from becoming tainted by the other townsfolk. He kept them from getting stuck, and the princess was slaying vampires.

"Yeah."

The climb up the museum stairs was complex, up and down, over and to the right, then diagonal. What should have taken only a few seconds took them almost five, each of them pausing as magic drunk townsfolk passed them by, laughing or shouting. For some reason, staying absolutely still kept them from being noticed. No one questioned it, they only posed.

Of course, once they passed, Keigo would start singing Madonna and vogue-ing.

It made the trip way more fun. Traveling through the night with companions was fun. Knowing she wasn't alone and that she had back-up was fun. It made her happy.

"The museum doesn't seem to be infected," Mizuiro said as they reached the final step. "Maybe the number of artifacts is keeping the energy at bay..."

"Could be," Ryo nodded.

"So can I go in?" Tatsuki would readily admit that she was just as excited about breaking into a museum as Keigo was. "Please?"

Mizurio smiled softly before nodding that they could go in. The getting in was much easier than getting there. A quick kick to the glass door let them pour in, ignoring the silent alarm they'd surely set off. Then they paused. The last time any of them had been to a museum was in grade school. Where were they supposed to go? They laid out the building maps, comparing them to the banners hanging around before finally they figured out where they were supposed to go. Through the hall of generals, past the ancient war kimono of daimyo and warlords, on and on until they reached the armory. A room lined with swords, ono, bows, naganata, everything a slayer could ever hope to touch.

One item caught her eye. As Keigo made a beeline for the ono and Ryo inspected the bows, Tatsuki went directly towards the display case in the very back. Barely lit, almost unseen, rest a very beautiful item. Mizuiro was distracted by a nagamaki, but nothing could pull Tatsuki's eyes from the nodachi in front of her. She could feel it start to hum with excitement the closer she got to it.

"Forged by Yoshihiro Go for his sister Tsukiko." Tatsuki broke the glass case and took the sword in hand. This was hers now. From slayer to slayer, with only seven hundred years in between. "Pick your blade! We're leaving."

"But I want two of them!"

Keigo was looking back and forth between two battle axes. Tatsuki had to admit that they were both very nice. Even Mizuiro was admiring them as he leaned upon his weapon of choice. Tatsuki walked over to the boy and played with each ax, the weight, the length, the blades themselves were equal in quality. And both were pretty.

"Well I don't know. Take both of them and let's go." She could hear very faint sirens approaching. Apparently someone had managed to avoid the mist just as they had.

As they left the exhibit, they saw Ryo coming out of a separate one, drying her hands with a paper towel. She didn't have anything with her save the cross bow over her shoulder and at some point she'd pulled her hair back.

"You were supposed to go before we left," Tatsuki joked. "Didn't find anything?"

"I found the bathroom." Ryo pulled the codex from her bag. "I also went and looked through the archives. This thing," she hefted the iPad, "Is barely dependable unless we're in Europe, Africa, or the Americas." She opened the photo section of the device. "Luckily it can take pictures. I didn't get too many though."

"It's fine, we need to go. I can hear cops coming."

They barely got out before the police drove up. Only one man on a motorcycle, he didn't seem entirely human to Tatsuki. She wasn't about to analyze it too closely though. He was a good cop in a bad situation and she needed to cut something's head off. Ryo directed them this time, telling them exactly which direction to go as Mizuiro navigated the now moving path of miasma. The four of them began to make their way through town, ignoring the outright lewd behavior while knocking out the braver souls. The weapons they carried did seem to make quite a few people leave them alone. Until they reached the warehouse district. Nothing moved. Nothing screamed or shouted. Even the miasma had disappeared. There was no sound save for that of four high school students making their way towards the center.

"I can feel it," Tatsuki grumbled as they moved through the silence and the stone. "It's really close."

"Well that's good," Ryo hummed. "I did find out that the amanojaku is smaller than most oni. So, logically speaking, you should have an easier time with it." Ryo climbed over a wooden slat as she spoke, accepting Keigo's hand when he extended it.

Tatsuki flinched as her slayer senses began to ping. Intense waves of demonic energy had started to send them haywire, tingling in her fingertips as the pangs shot like lightening across her abdomen. Tingle was such a poor, media friendly term. The truth of the matter was that they hurt like a hot knife in the gut. The closer she got to creatures, the more they hurt.

"You okay?" Mizuiro asked. He was leaning on his weapon again, waiting for Ryo and Keigo to catch up with them.

"Slayer senses," she took a breath. "The stronger the monster, the worse they get."

"Do they hurt?"

"Yeah," Tatsuki nodded. Ryo hadn't asked the first time she told her about them. Then again, Ryo had offered her a Midol the first time she saw Tatsuki flinch. "It can be a little sudden sometimes."

"Have you asked HQ about it? Maybe they know something."

"The best I got out of them was that I was particularly sensitive to spirits and demons."

"Useful."

Mizuiro's snort came just as Ryo and Keigo came over from the second round of crates and slats. They continued on through the alleys and streets of the district, noticing with each one they passed that they were being blocked off from the rest of the world. The Oni was creating a strange cave, funneling the barricades towards one warehouse in particular. Older and more decrepit than the rest of them, it bore a faded sign for Sakumo Furniture. The unloading dock had been torn into, steel gate shredded by claws and demonic strength. The unmistakable stench of blood and sweat came from within, mingling with the scent of old furniture polish.

Tatsuki went in first, creeping silently as she kept her eyes on the slumbering beast in the middle of the warehouse. Balled up upon a collection of old mattresses, it's pinkish skin was a road-map of blue veins and blood smears. She could see a single horn coming out from where she assumed it's head was until she saw it move it's head.

"Oh, that's disgusting." Keigo's face was filled with disgust. "As soon as we finish, I'm going to puke. Okay?"

"Yeah," Tatsuki nodded. She took Ryo's cross bow from her, ignoring the girl's look. "I'll give it back. I'm just going to see if I can't take it out first."

She didn't have the chance to take aim. The creature was waking up, great sniffs of air flowing into it's nose as it picked up on fresh meat. Long, gangly limbs unfolded as it rose from it's bedding.

"I thought you said this thing was small!" Tatsuki hissed at Ryo as the creature's bleary eyes began to search.

"It is. For an oni."

Nothing else could be said. Mad eyes focused on them and the amanojaku barreled straight towards them, tongue lolling. The four of them scattered, Tatsuki heading straight for the creature while Ryo took high ground. Keigo and Mizuiro strayed to either side, weapons held defensively as they allowed the slayer to fall into her element. The scent was the biggest obstacle right now, but with adrenaline running through her veins, she overcame both the scent and the 'tingle'. She became hyper-aware of her surroundings, unconsciously assessing every object as a viable weapon while her mind saw each possible swing the creature would give her. She felt the location of each friend and the path of every stray bolt from Ryo's crossbow.

When steel sliced through leathery skin and bone like butter, Tatsuki knew she would be keeping this sword. The amanojaku didn't seem as excited as she was. He let loose a mighty roar and tumbled onto his back, the stump of his arm leaking out sluggish blue liquid. Thick and oily, it only made the smell worse.

It slammed it's other arm down onto the ground, mere inches from Tatsuki while it's feet kicked out towards Mizuiro. He'd been slicing at the thing when it hit the ground. Likewise, Keigo had hacked at it's ankle.

"Let me give you a hand," Tatsuki smirked as she jumped upon the arm that had nearly crushed her. The creature raised it to flick her off, but she kept her balance, sliding down the appendage with her sword poised. A quick swing before she even reached the shoulder sent the amanojaku's head rolling and a spray of liquid into the air.

"Oh gross!"

Tatsuki looked over from her place atop the demon's chest. She couldn't help but laugh. Ryo stood atop a crate, covered in the creature's blood. She looked utterly miserable, her face turned into a scowl as she tried to flick the substance off. Even Keigo and Mizuiro were laughing, the first taking a handkerchief from his pocket and offering it to the Ryo. She accepted it before flicking the blood out onto the three of them as well.

~!~

"We need a name."

Keigo slung his towel around his neck as he entered the living room. Bare feet padded across the carpet as he went to sit beside Ryo on the couch. He'd just come from the shower, fully enjoying the excess of the Arisawa Manor bathroom. He and Mizuiro both had been forced to wait until the girls finished up, and in that time, he'd realized something important.

"A name?" Tatsuki asked from her chair. Her new sword was sitting across her lap, cloth and oil resting on the table as she cleaned the blade. Her laptop was on as well, Skype opened up, though no one appeared to be sitting on the other side. Mizuiro was slightly in front of her, watching the nightly news as they reported a slow end to the day's chaos.

"Yeah, like a group name." He pulled the towel onto his head once more. The idea of being excluded from yet another friend was more than he could think on right now. He peered out from beneath he fabric. "We are a gang now, right?"

"I took you with me the first time didn't I?" she asked, going back to her sword. She wiped the cloth across the steel once more, smiling at how she'd gotten it to shine. Her smile over a knife was only a bit strange to him. "What were you thinking about?"

"The Karakura Tenshi."

Each person in the living room looked at him.

"I like it." Tatsuki slid the sword into it's sheathe. "It's better than what I was thinking."

~!~!~!~

~!~!~

~!~

I just remembered that you guys can't leave reviews for chapters you've already reviewed. PM's are always welcome. Still shorter than I'd like, but hopefully it works okay.


	4. Flowers

Flowers

Tatsuki was trying desperately not to fall asleep in her desk. But it was so warm and quiet, and the soft drone of the heating system combined with Yukimura's voice were proving to be a difficult opponent. Her toughest yet in fact! It was just so...nice.

The sound of the bell startled the slayer from her daze. Yukimura called out their assignments as her classmates rose all around her, the same basic information, pages X to Y to Z, due in the morning. Tatsuki just couldn't stop yawning, she couldn't make her brain work and at some point in between standing up from her desk and reaching the door of the classroom, Dragon Moon Club had heard and a whole group of them was standing in front of her with a cup of coffee each. Espresso, Cappuccino, mocha, amaretto, latte, macchiato, frappachino , iced, blended, and each of these was being offered alongside the same drinks made with Soy and Almond milk. Sometimes, it was annoying having a fan club, sometimes it was handy.

Tatsuki took the mocha with almond milk from one starry eyed boy, sipping it carefully before asking about sugar. Of course they had sugar, and honey, and agave.

"Enjoying yourself?" Ryo's amused voice came from behind her.

"Eh, i'd like my day more if I could get some sleep." Tatsuki waved them off when they started suggesting blankets and offering pillows or secluded nooks. "Don't think I missed what happened on the fifth!"

They dispersed quickly. No one liked to think about the day of the Amanojaku. No one liked to admit what they did or with whom or even admit the day existed. Especially not those who'd lost someone. Tatsuki regretted mentioning the day when pain flickered through Ryo's eyes. In the five hours between leaving school and defeating the oni, Chizuru had died. She and no few others had been drained by the vampire population, turned into creatures of the night. The only difference between her and the rest of the people who had been turned, was Chizuru's body had been stolen from the morgue before it was even autopsied.

"Too tired to eat lunch then?" Ryo had shaken the sadness from her eyes. Instead, she teased Tatsuki by lifting up her lunch.

"Uhm, no. Slayer metabolism." She and Ryo caught up with the boys and began the climb towards the roof. "I'm actually getting worried. Seven days and only a few tiny vampires?"

"You think something is coming?"

"I know something is coming," Tatsuki shook her head. The door was pushed open and Tatsuki glanced around before continuing. "I keep having slayer dreams."

"Is that why you came downstairs so late last night?" Mizuiro asked.

Tatsuki's house had become a halfway house for everyone in their merry troupe, Ryo sleeping over almost every night while the boys stayed every other. Thank god her house was big enough to house ten and then some; Tatsuki's room alone was big enough for three. She hadn't meant to wake anyone up though. She said as much before Mizuiro waved it off. He'd only been going to bed when she came down, insomnia kept him up for days sometimes. They would have kept going, but Ryo wanted to know more about the Slayer Dreams, it was her job as Tatsuki's watcher to get all of the information she could.

"Urahara has stopped being useful to me," Ryo opened her juice. "All he knows about are spirits, nothing about demons or yokai."

She said it with such a casual tone that Tatsuki nearly choked with laughter. It was true though. The few pictures Ryo had taken in the museum were infinitely more useful than what the slayer's council had sent over. The watcher was now wringing everyone she could think of for information regarding spirits. Not even priests were safe from her. Admitted, they only had a limited amount of knowledge and very few genuinely believed what they were saying. Not to mention this priest argued with that one over there and the miko thought both of them were completely insane. Tatsuki was starting to see why the watchers had stopped researching Japanese lore. There was too much of it.

The Tenshi need to know All of it.

On the upside, she wasn't the only slayer in Japan and the Tokyo branch seemed more than willing to exchange information.

"The dreams Tatsuki!" Ryo shouted. "Tell me about your dreams."

"Oh, right." She retold the dream to Ryo. She'd be in the middle of class, taking notes with everyone else when Ochi moved to open the window. It was always very hot in the dreams, hot and fragrant. When Ochi opened the window, a flower petal would come in on the breeze. More and more windows would open, and the petals would come pouring in like snow, covering Tatsuki and the other female students until she woke up gasping for breath. The dreams seemed so real that she hadn't even recognized the first one for what it was.

"And every time I wake up, I can still smell flowers." Tatsuki went back to her lunch, hoping the boost of calories would help her stay awake for the rest of the day. She looked up as she realized something. "It's camellia petals."

"Camellias?" Ryo asked, opening the codex.

"Yeah, I mean, I didn't think it was too important." Tatsuki reached into her bag for a bottle of water. "But you want to know everything."

"Well, they don't have any sort of magical property," Ryo hummed.

"Why did you think they weren't important?" Keigo asked.

"They're my favorite." Tatsuki shrugged. "I thought it was just my brain putting some kind of information in."

Keigo and Mizuiro both looked down at their lunches, muttering something about American and beauty. Whatever that meant. The slayer focused in her watcher, waiting for some kind of information to come forth, even if it was information about ancient mesoamerican demons. Nothing seemed to be floral and threatening. Flower gods, nymphs, dryads, creatures of fertility and bounty, but nothing overtly dangerous with a taste for any sort of flesh other than fish and the occasional bird.

"I think we're getting in trouble," Ryo hummed as they walked home after school.

The codex was open in front of her and the boys had gone off to some shop that had just opened. Dragon Moon was following them home as per usual. Those who hadn't been involved in The Incident with the doll had split from the rest of the pack. An unofficial honor guard they'd decided to create after the events of the fifth. They were determined to protect her from everyone, including themselves if need be. Three of them were athletes, ranging from kendo to judo to track. The other one traveling with them was a girl and apparently she was a member of the Future Homemakers Club. Her new Honor Guard was much quieter than the groups that had followed her around before.

"Why's that?"

"One of the senior slayer's is coming to visit next week." She typed a message back. "Also, we've been submitting too much information for them to handle at once." Tatsuki snorted at that. "I know, I told them it's their fault for not having more information."

Tatsuki looked over at her watcher. "Are you sure you should be telling our bosses off like that?"

"Not bosses," Ryo pointed out. "Just helpful individuals who are being rather unhelpful."

"Alright then." It was nice just walking with Ryo again. The boys were fun, and active, but sometimes they'd do something or say something that would remind her of a certain asshead. As tired as she was, Tatsuki didn't know if she could stop herself from admitting she might miss the dumb boy.

"Which one of the senior's is coming to visit?" Tatsuki asked. She really hoped it wasn't Mio. The elder teen was good at what she did, but she was cocky about it and an all around bitch.

"Faith."

"Faith?!" The slayer nearly stumbled as she whipped to look at Ryo. "Faith? Lehane? The Dark Slayer and second of the line?"

"That's the one," Ryo hummed, eyes still glued to the codex screen. "Apparently she's been wanting to talk to you about working solo instead of with a pack." Ryo's brows furrowed. "A pack of slayers? Better than a flock or a herd I suppose."

Tatsuki refocused on the cement in front of them as Ryo continued to think on how to refer to a group of slayers. This was going to be a tricky week if that flower creature didn't show up soon. Very tricky indeed. The boys caught up with them just before they reached Tatsuki's street. Keigo holding a bouquet of flowers while Mizuiro pushed him closer to the girls. Both girls stopped dead in their tracks as the two boys argued in whispers. Even the Honor Guard didn't seem to know what to make of this.

"Uhm, Ryo, I uh..." Keigo lifted a ahnd to the back of his head when he came to a stop in front of Ryo. "I was, I was wondering if maybe, you might consider." He shoved the flowers forward. "Kunieda Ryo, would you please come to dinner with me?"

Tatsuki blinked at his question. It was very close to a shriek. Very close. She still waited for Ryo's answer. The honor guard had moved closer to listen for the same thing, interested in the outcome just as the Tenshi were.

"Sure."

Ryo went back to the codex and continued to Tatsuki's house, opening the gate easily before entering the house.

"She said Yes!"

"You said yes," Tatsuki spoke up later that night.

She'd napped almost immediately, rather happy that her guard decided to shut Keigo up after the first time she shouted for him to be quiet. Now though, they were moving through the streets towards the hospital; two more attacks had happened last night and Tatsuki wanted to stake the fledglings before they got buried. She was having trouble hunting the damn things down, so she might as well nip things in the bud.

"I did, didn't I?" Ryo asked. She wasn't carrying a crossbow, instead she held a squirt gun filled with holy water and a large wooden cross.

"I didn't even know you liked him," Tatsuki admitted as the hospital came in sight. "Do you?"

"I think I do." Ryo was blushing ever so faintly. "I've never been interested in a guy like him before. Never. He's loud and over the top, and he's everything I've never wanted."

"But?" Tatsuki pressed.

"But," Ryo smiled. "Lately I've been laughing at his antics. He makes me smile when the day isn't going well. He's helpful and kind, even if he is a little overzealous about things."

Tatsuki led Ryo around to the back of the hospital, both watching as the EMT's parked their ambulance and entered the hospital. They'd parked it in just the right place to hide Ryo and' Tatsuki from the security camera. They were silent as they entered, not sneaking about per se, but certainly silent and darting into rooms to avoid being caught. It was entirely by chance one of the rooms they ran into was the morgue. The night nurse was asleep at his desk, snoring loud enough to wake the corpses behind him. Carefully and quietly, the two girls moved around him and into the refrigerated room.

"this feels weird," Ryo mouthed to Tatsuki.

"No duh," the slayer mouthed back.

She took a sharpened chopstick from her hair, small enough to hide, before looking for the vampire. It was in here, she could feel it just on the edge of her senses. None of the other bodies had been turned; they could keep being good and dead. But this one...it needed to die before it came to life. Like a late term abortion. Very late, she realized as she slid the drawer holding her prey open. The man was probably in his early forties, silvering early and she could smell the lingering scent of sake and bourbon on his form. The chopstick sank through cold flesh and bone, piercing through his heart just as the businessman opened his yellow eyes. Even with the rather messy explosion of dust and fine red mist, the night nurse didn't even twitch.

Someone did clear their throat though.

Both girls turned to see one silver haired doctor staring at them with cold eyes.

"Hi." Tatsuki lifted her chopstick hand. She shifted to hold it like a wand. "This, is all a dream."

"A very realistic dream," Ryo agreed. "Two schoolgirls turning people into dust? How unreal."

He only blinked at them, eyes never losing their cool and face solid as stone. He reached into his pocket making both girls tense.

"Next time, just use the front door." He tossed a keycard at them before turning and leaving the room. "There are scrubs in the cabinet over there."

"That was weird." Tatsuki turned the card over in her hands. Her eyes widened when she saw the name on the other side. "Holy crap, Ishida's dad just saw us stake a vampire."

"Holy crap."

"Hello nurse," Mizuiro opened the door for them.

"Making house calls now?" Keigo asked from the kitchen counter.

Tatsuki only made a face at them as she headed to the fridge. She paused when she saw the contents. There were flowers in her fridge. Flowers were not food and once she said so, Keigo darted over and pulled them from the chilly confines. They were handed off to Ryo and Tatsuki went back to digging through for sandwich stuff. She was halfway through her second by the time she was ready for sleep. Ryo had already headed up to her room and Keigo was yawning at the kitchen table. Only Mizuiro seemed unaffected by the pass of time. He waved goodnight to Keigo when the loud boy went to go find a room and when Tatsuki began to clean up, he spoke.

"Tsuki-chan, if you wake up again tonight, and I'm still awake. Talk to me. Okay?"

Tatsuki paused before shoving the mayo back into the fridge. "Thanks."

"That's what friends are for."

For the first time in almost a week, Tatsuki wasn't assaulted by her dreams. She slept peacefully through the night, with only a few flashes of strawberry red in her dreams. There were only a few grazes of black silk and when she woke up the next morning, she was very annoyed. Especially when her sleep fogged min didn't have someone next to her. The slayer flopped back into the comfort of her bed with a heavy sigh. Her life was turning into a shojo manga! Next thing she knew, there would be a talking cat and roses everywhere and some crazy chick with purple hair was going to show up and start worrying about her safety and happiness.

"Ridiculous," she grunted as she pushed herself up. The day waited for no one and Ryo was undoubtedly waiting in the kitchen with an intense study session in her arsenal.

As the slayer left her room, she sent a glance towards her mother's room, noting that the door was still closed. Three weeks and she still wasn't back. Every Sunday she called, checked in on her dearest child, and before they could make plans or even get to the part about Mother visiting, something would come up on both ends and plans would be pushed back. It hadn't always been like this, up until the day Tatsuki entered middle school, her mother had made a clear effort to come home every night. Once she entered high school though, her mother had been coming home less and less. Each time she looked more worn, more tired. Tatsuki was left with the maid, the cook, and the gardener.

And the three friends who seemed to live with her now. Ryo for a certainty had moved into her home. Almost two days after finding out about the Night Life, she'd started staying the night, and each time Tatsuki walked her home, she noticed very odd things at the Kunieda family. Eventually Tatsuki just told her to pick a room and to stop taking her things home.

The boys were still in the air, but Mizuiro was staying over more and more.

Tatsuki entered the kitchen, smiling and the smell of toast and bacon. The cook was standing in front of the stove, chatting away at the boys as she handed a slice of toast to Tatsuki. It was only when Tatsuki sat down with her toast that she realized Ryo was still in bed. They had stayed out pretty late last night. Ryo didn't have the slayer stamina o keep her going, and sometimes Tatsuki forgot things like that. The slayer sat at the breakfast table with the boys while Cookie continued to serve them, smiling and laughing and pushing more food on to Tatsuki's plate.

When Ryo finally came in, the woman ushered the girl over to the table and set a cup of strong coffee in front of her.

"You look terrible." Tatsuki's face pulled when Cookie's wooden spoon rapped on the top of her head.

"I really do." Ryo tasted the coffee before asking for more sugar. "I think I'm going to take a break from our nightly outings."

"Sounds like a plan. The boys need to learn anyways." Tatsuki gratefully accepted the omelet Cookie set in front of her. "And we do need to catch up on school work."

"You're not too sick to go to dinner are you?" Keigo asked, passing the cream closer to Ryo. "I mean, we can wait."

"No, I should be fine," Ryo assured him. "Tonight at 5 right?"

The rest of the Tenshi's day was spent training. Keigo was shoved into a padded suit while Tatsuki kicked and punched and Mizuiro stood off tot he side with Ryo's crossbow. The few times cookie came out with a snack, she didn't say anything, only reminded them to stay hydrated. When the gardener showed up, her brought an old archery target from the shed and went back to his duties.

"Your house is a treasure trove," Keigo sipped at his iced tea. "And Cookie is amazing!"

"Yeah, I'm kind of wanting a Slurpee though." Tatsuki set her tea down and pulled the tape from her knuckles. "You up for a jog Ryo?"

"I'll take a brisk walk," The other girl laughed lightly.

There were flowers everywhere. Middle aged to teenaged, women were walking around with bouquets of flowers. All through the streets, men were giving them to their fiancees and girlfriends and girls they hoped might become their girlfriends. It was cute, but with so many of them around, Tatsuki could finally feel what made Ryo's flowers feel so strange. There was the faintest trace of demonic energy on them.

"Demon flowers?" Ryo asked. They were walking out of the Quik Stop with icy treats in hand. "Keigo's been giving me demon flowers?"

"I don't think he knows," Tatsuki shook her head as a man to their left handed some off to a rather pretty young woman. "And the flowers themselves aren't demonic, but they came into contact with some kind of evil demon thing."

"Do you think they're bespelled?" Ryo asked as they watched a woman yawn after smelling her bouquet.

"Maybe. We'll have to find out where Keigo got them." Tatsuk took a sip from her slurpee and watched as Ryo approached one of the men, asking him directly where he'd gotten the flowers. She hadn't meant for Ryo to do that. Tatsuki was just going to ask the boy they knew. Ryo walked back over looking at a card. "Survey says?"

"It's new florist a few blocks from the mall." Ryo was flicking through her phone this time, seeking out directions to the place.

"So we swing by and see if I need to get slay happy," Tatsuki shrugged. She took a drink from her slurpee as she followed Ryo to the florists. "You don't look happy about this idea. What are you thinking?"

"I think this is going to be something else." Ryo looked up from her phone and began to walk. "IF it's just a demonic item, we might need to look for it."

"And you don't support breaking in to a flower shop." Tatsuki nodded in understanding. Ryo didn't even like breaking into museums or vampire infested warehouses. "So what do we do? Go the shop every day?" Ryo didn't answer. "Ryo?"

"With the sudden influx of clients, the owner is bound to need some help." Ryo kept walking even when Tatsuki stopped. "I'm going to apply for a job and see what I can find."

"Ryo-"

"It's my choice Tatsuki. Just like it was my choice to help you fight the darkness. I'll stop before things get too bad."

Tatsuki was not happy with this plan, but she was right. It was her choice to do this. Not like Tatsuki, who'd been thrown into it without a choice. Although, if someone had asked Tatsuki if she wanted to be the slayer, she'd have jumped feet first into the job. There was nothing more exciting than her life as a slayer and the idea of going back to being a normal human girl was almost scary. She didn't even realize her hand fell to her stake as they walked. Not until she started twirling it in her hand.

She waited outside while Ryo went in to ask about the job, careful to keep the stake out of sight of the shopkeeper and the shoppers both. It was strange, sitting in front of a flower shop and waiting for a demon to pop out. Especially when the demon was only barely on the edge of her senses. When her slayer tingle was nothing more than a tingle, like a limb falling asleep. So she waited. She sat on the bench out front and tried not to twirl her stake. She crossed her legs and uncrossed them multiple times, first at the knee, then at the ankle like her mother had taught her, then she folded one under herself. She pulled out her phone and sent a text to her cousin in Hokkaido, and her cousin in Kyoto, and one of the Tokyo slayers. She even sent her mother a text.

Tatsuki was not the kind of girl who liked to sit still.

When her mother was the first to respond back, she nearly dropped her phone. Arisawa Mai had bought a plane ticket yesterday with the full intent of coming home later tonight. Something had come up. Something dangerous and more than just career ending. Tatsuki's mother had never fully explained what she did, only that she was in charge of some thing or other, the CEO of a very old company, maybe a law firm? Medical? Either way, Mother was going to come home as soon as she could.

Tatsuki was discussing her choice to quit karate when Ryo came back out, apron under her arm and a hat in hat. The other girl didn't say anything, simply waited while Tatsuki continued to speak with her mother. Mother was concerned about the event, worried that Tatsuki was losing a part of herself by quitting. Tatsuki assured her that she wasn't. There was no challenge left in fighting her teammates and Tatsuki had started focusing on her life more.

When her mother asked about Ichigo and Orihime, Tatsuki was quick to explain she'd been hanging out with different people. She hadn't spoken to the two redheads since just after her mother had left. No, she wasn't lonely because Ryo had moved in with her about a month ago and Mizuiro was over often enough that he may as well pick a room.

Ryo started walking and Tatsuki followed along, watching the screen as her mother replied that it was fine, so long as they left her room and the basement alone. Tatsuki forgot they even had a basement. She did promise to keep it closed off though.

They'd reached her house by the time Tatsuki bid her mother a good afternoon; her mother bade her goodnight in return.

"Interesting conversation?" Ryo asked as they entered the kitchen. Cookie was standing at the stove, making soup.

"I was talking with Mother," Tatsuki explained. Cookie turned to see what the news was. "She's going to try to come home within the month. The week if she can."

The cook said nothing. She simply placed a plate before Tatsuki and Ryo both before continuing her work. Making a few more meals for Tatsuki before her shift ended and she went home.

"I don't think I've ever met your mother," Ryo admitted as they ate.

"Probably not. She dropped me off the first day of school, and she usually picks me up the last day." Tatsuki set her bowl down. "But, most of the time she's doing business overseas."

The boys entered the kitchen, discussing very important details regarding the upcoming release of the new castlevania game. Tatsuki joined them quickly enough. Even though the vampires weren't real, even though she was living out the game in real life, she enjoyed it. She enjoyed it as much as Ryo liked reading vampire romance novels and Mizuiro liked watched anime about demons.

Tatsuki looked down at Ryo. She was resting in a hospital bed, not unlike many of the women of Karakura. Tatsuki had tried to talk her out of going to work that day, and considering, ryo had outlasted a good many of the customers in terms of exhaustion, but she was still laying abed in the middle of a hospital. She'd collapsed on the walk home from school, the Honor Guard being kind enough to help Tatsuki and Ryo get to a hospital. She was amazed Keigo wasn't here already.

"Alright, we're going to have to work with what we've got," Tatsuki sat down on the foot of Ryo's bed. "I'm going in tonight."

"Tatsuki, I still haven't found out what is creating the problem."

Dr. Ishida entered at that moment, causing both girls to fall silent as he checked Ryo's charts. The place was so full they'd pulled everyone in, retired doctors, those on vacation, even one or two on maternity leave. Those doctors were fine enough, but this one had seen Tatsuki stake a vampire in his morgue. He'd given Tatsuki a key card and left a note that they should keep wearing scrubs when they came through. And he hunted ghosts! Or at least he Could hunt them if he wanted to.

"Aside from a slight drain in her spiritual energy, nothing is wrong with Miss Kunieda," Dr. Ishida set Ryo's chart down. "She can go home, but whatever is causing this drain-"

"It's the flower shop." He was being honest with them about what was happening, Tatsuki didn't see a reason she shouldn't be upfront as well. "There's some kind of demon in it."

"We think," Ryo corrected. "While I was there I didn't see any demons outright, but there were some very odd things."

"A flower shop?" Dr. Ishida fixed his glasses. "Do you know what kind of demon?"

"No," Tatsuki chirped. She stood up from the bed. "But I'm going to find it, and kill it."

Ryo stopped her by asking for the codex in her bag. Urahara had been kind enough to find some more information and bring it by last night. Ishida sat with them, listening, listing off the symptoms of the other patients. Nothing pointed to any one demon or other, but with Urahara's recent drop off, it did point to a particular kind of spell. A spell used by demon to transfer energy from a sacrifice into the caster.

"And that narrows it down somewhat," Ryo spoke softly. She was sitting up in her bed, looking down at the screen with a pensive face. "Only female demons can cast this spell, and only if they began as a human or a cat first."

"A cat?" Tatsuki asked.

"I guess."

"Do you have a listing of demons that began as human?" Dr. Ishida asked. "Cat's don't generally target their victims by gender."

"Good point," Tatsuki agreed.

She waited by the window of Ryo's room, twirling her stake between her fingers as she listened to the two of them figure out what she needed to kill. There was a fairly large list.

"The upside is that beheading will take care of all of them." Ryo yawned and the doctor took the tablet from her.

"I'll call the boys and have Mizuiro meet us in the back," Tatsuki agreed.

"Arisawa, my patient is not in any condition to go anywhere."

Tatsuki looked over at the doctor.

"What on earth made you think I was talking about her?" She asked. She held the phone to her ear. "I'm talking about you and me. We are going to meet Mizuiro out back...oh! Hey. Come tot he hospital, tell Keigo to get to room 203, you meet us by the morgue with Midoriko." Tatsuki hugged Ryo goodbye before she exited the room, dragging the doctor by his sleeve. "No, just, meet us there, okay?"

They were halfway to the morgue before Dr. Ishida spoke up again. He'd pulled free from her grasp some time back, but now he was actually speaking.

"I need to stop getting involved."

"you've done this before?" Tatsuki asked as they pushed through a pair of doors.

"Worked with a slayer, yes," Ishida nodded. He'd removed his white coat and was now loosening his tie. "My wife was a slayer."

"Shie Sonohara," Tatsuki breathed. "The second slayer to ever claim Japan."

"Indeed." He was smiling ever so faintly. "She died giving birth to my son. That's why I chose medicine."

"I'm sorry for your loss." It sounded so...not enough. "I suppose not everyone needs to be a demon hunter."

"That's what I thought," the doctor agreed. "Come now, let's get you to the flower shop. I'll drive."

Very faintly, Tatsuki wondered if he knew what he was getting into. Did he know that this one ride, his single admission had turned him into The Adult of their merry troupe? He would soon enough, of that Tatsuki had no doubt. Especially when Keigo cried about being locked out of his apartment after the trains stopped. Or when Tatsuki herself was too flustered by her fanboys -and girls- to deal with walking home. Maybe he'd realize when he was driving them to Ryo's track meets.

Until then, Tatsuki took her sword in hand and climbed into the back seat of his car. She told Mizuiro what the situation was and as he and Ishida kept talking, Tatsuki thought about what she was going to do. When they pulled in front, she circled the building as well as she could, focused on the slight twinge of demonic energy and let it pull her ever closer. She let herself become the slayer, let the beast in the night feel out it's prey. She wasn't scared of the dark; the Slayer Essence was the dark.

She was the dark.

The slayer felt along the back wall when the twinge became something painful. Just beyond it, there was something. She tapped all along the plaster, listening for the hollow thunk that might signal a false wall. Finally she came upon it, punching through to reveal a door hidden in the wall. A door and a path leading down to the cellar.

"There was a release button you know," Mizuiro pointed out as he followed her down. His nagamaki was unsheathed, much like Tatsuki's sword was. Dr. Ishida was yet unarmed, but he'd pulled something from his pocket.

"I like punching through walls," Tatsuki defended.

They came to the end of the stairs, finding the cellar full of gardening supplies and a very realistic skin suit. Tatsuki didn't touch it. It was wrong and evil, and whomever she'd taken it from was dead for centuries. She looked around the room, smiling when she saw another door. Dr. Ishida opened it before she could punch, explaining that they needed surprise on their side.

"Party killer," Tatsuki snorted. She held her sword in front of her as she entered the massive indoor greenhouse. Something this big shouldn't have existed beneath a two room building. It was smaller than Urahara's underground room, somewhere between the size of a her house and Ichigo's, but neither place was covered in so many ferns, flowers, and leafy green stuff. There was even grass growing on the floor; She wondered if that made it Ground instead of Floor.

The slayer shook her head of such trivial thoughts as grammar and the difference between down. Instead she passed through the aisles of flora, seeking out the one thing she could see from the door. The biggest flower of them all and it was closed up against the back wall. Thick vines burrowing deep into the stone and earth as the blossom nearly pulsed with darkness. Twisted and thick, it was different from the slayer. It was evil.

It pulsed faster with each step Tatsuki took towards the plant creature. When she finally reached the edge of the clearing it rest in, the slayer watched as the giant blossom seemed to vomit up the shopkeeper. This wasn't the shopkeeper though, not the one Tatsuki had met. This was a hannya. The hannya rose up, petal pink hair falling over her nude form and leafy green eyes focused on Tatsuki.

"So, the slayer finally graces em with her presence," the woman laughed bitterly. "How honored I am."

"Cut the crap lady," Tatsuki pointed at her with her sword. "You're feeding off of the women in my town, and that kind of thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

"I have done nothing they don't deserve!" the demon cried. "All of the men who com into my shop, doting upon women who barely know they exist. On women who don't deserve them!"

"So you're killing them off?" Tatsuki asked. "That's it? Just wipe them out? Why?"

"Because." The hannya plucked a blossom from the vines behind her. Tatsuki adjusted her grip on Midoriko once more, watching both demon and the blossom turned spear. "If they are dead, I will have all of the best men to pollinate with."

"Crazy," Tatsuki mumbled as she was rushed by the demoness. She ducked as the spear stabbed at her head, the rush of the hunt running through her veins as she finally fought someone on even ground. "Have you tried putting on a nice dress?" Tatsuki slashed at the woman. "Maybe wax your brows?"

"You really are the worst kind of girl," the hannya sneered as she was pushed back by Midoriko. "you don't even know how many bouquets I made with your name on them! You have no idea how many good men are fighting for your attentions!"

She shouted an awful lot. Tatsuki dodged as the spear jabbed at her abdomen, and for the slightest second, she wondered why Mizuiro and Dr. Ishida weren't helping. But as she hopped back up, she could see the boys dealing with their own problems. Canine and leafy problems of the biting variety.

"No, I don't," Tatsuki said as she darted towards the demon. Their weapons met, sparking as demonic energy came into contact with Tatsuki's steel. "But you know what? The man I want, the one I've had a crush on since I was five? He doesn't know I exist either."

The Slayer pushed more of herself into the blade, smirking as it cut through the wood and into leathery flesh. The thick green sap running through the hannya's veins slid down the sword in a thick stream. Before her blade went through all the way, Tatsuki said one more thing.

"This is my town. So are the men and women inside of it."

Her head toppled to the floor.

~!~

"You are beheading an awful lot of things lately," Ryo hummed as they walked to school. The boys were further behind, sleeping in while Ryo went to student council and Tatsuki went to get some decent studying in. Yukimura was getting better; she was getting over the assault that was the Hannya Hana Curse and Tatsuki wanted to make sure she was alright.

When the hannya had fallen, the women of Karakura had risen, strong and healthy. Their spirits were still weak, but they would recover. Tatsuki wasn't sure she would though. She had come to terms with her feelings long ago, she knew things could never be the way she wished between herself and Ichigo, but she'd never actually said it out loud.

"Yeah," Tatsuki spoke instead. "I noticed that."

"You aren't worried?"

"Not really." The slayer stretched in the early morning sun, enjoying the feel of it on her skin. "First rule of Slaying? Stab them in the heart. Second rule? It's only dead without it's head."

"Simple rules," Ryo laughed.

"Something needs to be in my life."

~!~

Oh! Lenbug! If life gives you lemons, make beef stew at let the world wonder what the hell just happened ^_^ fun fact, every time I go to correct Tatsuki's name, it suggests catsuit, tasking, and tattooist before her name even appears. And those just give rise to all sorts of one-shot plot bunnies.

Also, I ended up with a strange result when I went to double check Tsuki-chan's eye color. One source says they're blue, while many others say it's brown/golden brown. But! If you look at the anime, her eyes bounce back and forth between violet-brown and gray. Hmm...I'm seeing a lack of continuity. And an opportunity for fluffiness if the future.

I keep wanting to turn Tatsuki into a Sailor Scout too...


	5. Moon

Moon

Tatsuki was faintly reminded of watching Isshin attack his son. Except, Isshin didn't use lethal weapons when he attacked. Faith did. She used a massive hammer to destroy Tatsuki's bed and it was by mere chance that Tatsuki woke up in time to roll away from the strike. That wasn't enough for the dark haired woman attacking her. No, the hammer was left behind and Tatsuki was forced to flee via the window to avoid Faith's incoming kick. She followed of course, Tatsuki in little more than a tank top and a pair of shorts while Faith was fully dressed in leather pants and a red babydoll shirt.

Across the yard and back inside through the window, the moon watched them fight as it began to dip below the horizon. The sound of shattering glass had her roommates tumbling down the stairs to see what was happening.

"Kick her in the balls!"

"Thanks!" Tatsuki shouted back at Mizuiro. "Real helpful!"

The smell of popcorn hit her nose a few minutes later and Faith laughed outright as she kicked Tatsuki into a wall. Paper and bamboo snapped and tore as she flew into the parlor, skidding to a stop as she connected with the river rock wall along the back. The worst part about this whole fight? She knew Faith was going easy on her. She knew that this was nothing but a friendly hello and if Faith had really wanted to hurt her, she would have.

When Tatsuki sat up, she saw Faith eating popcorn and talking to her friends. Just as easy as you please.

"Good morning Moon Baby," Faith called over. "Sleep well?"

"For the hour I had," Tatsuki limped over. "Good trip over?"

"For the hour the woman next to me was unconscious." The woman looked her over before she started to circle. Not once did Tatsuki let her eyes leave the Dark Slayer. "Good, always in sight." Faith nodded approvingly when she came to a stop in front of her. "Quick reflexes too. How come you weren't freaked out by the hammer coming at your head?"

"Friend of mine, well, a guy I know, his dad likes to wake him up the same way." Tatsuki shifted her hip, enjoying the dull ache it had rather than the sharp pain of a cracked bone. "Second sleepover in and I figured things out."

"Oh yes." Faith grinned wide. "I can't wait to tell B that my mini is better than hers."

"Your mini?" A glance at the clock told Tatsuki that four in the morning guaranteed no further sleep.

Tatsuki was eating cereal before Faith explained further. Both slayers were actually. The boys had returned to bed and Ryo had pulled out her journal and an energy shot. It took two bowls of sugary, colorful goodness before Faith explained what she meant. Faith had died recently. Nothing major; a shock from a lightening demon, she'd flatlined, come back. No big deal. Except for one thing. The day Faith had died was the day Tatsuki was called. She was in fact the first slayer in over a year, and the first slayer to rise since another had died.

"It threw everyone for a major loop," Faith grinned. Like a big cat stalking a small deer. "Red thought her spell had stuttered, maybe you'd slipped under the radar, but when Xander came through and talked to you..." Faith chuckled. "You aren't just a slayer Moon Baby, you're a Slayer."

Tatsuki didn't miss the difference in Faith's voice.

"So what?" Tatsuki asked. "I came a bit later than everyone else. Better late than never, right?"

"The big difference is that _You_ are _My_ slay baby." The woman across from her smiled proudly. "You weren't called like the others because you aren't like the others. You're stronger. Faster. I watched last night while you took that demon out. You know how to channel the animal inside of us in a way only two others in this world do." Faith leaned forward. "And one of them doesn't like it."

Faith's words had made something inside of her pop. A bubble of doubt and fear, worry that this whole thing was nothing but a fluke. Called almost a year after everyone else, no watcher sent, no push to join the others or meet people from the council. She was different, she knew it; a good different. Different in that she carried on the line.

"How could she not?" Tatsuki shook her head. "How could anyone reject themselves like that?"

"Hell if I know," Faith shrugged. "But B does what she will and I do what I want, and you...well, you do what you do."

"She beheads things and sleeps through class." Ryo stretched her hand before continuing her records.

"I really do," Tatsuki nodded. She yawned before siting upright; slowly she'd been slouching in her seat. "There's a few open beds upstairs if you feel like crashing."

Faith thanked her before follow the duo upstairs. It was odd, having such a predator in her house. The main reason she didn't like the Tokyo girls was for that reason. Too many alphas in one room, all fighting each a mental war with one another as they established themselves. Having Faith around was different. Faith shared a power line with her, a spiritual lineage that spanned centuries, bridged races and cultures. Her Slay Momma. Wasn't that an odd thing, to call someone such a name? Right up there with Moon Baby.

Tatsuki made a mental note to ask Faith about it in the morning.

"So, what's fun around here?" Faith asked.

Breakfast was a much larger affair than normal. Big enough that Cookie pushed them out of her kitchen and into the dining room, if only so she could put enough food on the table for everyone. The woman had pulled out all of the stops before coming in to tell Tatsuki she needed to make a shopping trip. The slayer nodded, running to fetch the bank card for the poor woman. It wasn't like she meant to suddenly have massive amounts of people over.

"Uhm...the arcade, I guess," Tatsuki shrugged. The boys agreed, mentioning that a carnival was supposed to come around soon. Ryo mentioned a festival coming up before Faith shook her head.

"I meant Where is fun. What do you do to unwind after the slayage gets to be too much?" When Tatsuki didn't answer, Faith arched a brow. "You haven't done anything to get rid of it yet. Have you?"

"I'm not much of a club goer," Tatsuki shook her head. "Hell, half the time I have trouble finding vampires. They're always running away, and by the time I catch up and they're dust, I'm too tired and annoyed to want to do anything else."

Faith silenced the others when they spoke up in response to what Tatsuki said. A simple raised hand made them fall quiet. Even Keigo; the boy saw Faith as something akin to a flytrap. Beautiful, but deadly. The elder Slayer leaned back on her hands and tilted her head at Tatsuki before turning her gaze onto Ryo.

"As soon as we finish this, I want a look at your closet."

She tried to drag breakfast out, she really did. Ryo and Faith both weren't having it. The runner had been asking questions about her wardrobe for a while now, Faith had given her the perfect excuse. Tatsuki had been all but shoved into her room to allow the girls access; hadn't they been pushy when she told them it was walk in.

"This is it's own room," Ryo commented as she looked around.

"That's all kimono," Tatsuki stopped Faith from opening the dresser. Mai had bought multiple furisode over the years, eagerly awaiting the day Tatsuki would have her coming of age party. There was one for very hour of the day in that dresser, from indigo to ultramarine to bright scarlet, and once a year Tatsuki was put into them, to air them out and get used to the garments. Sometimes they were replaced by larger or brighter ones. "So is that one."

Faith turned and looked at her, mouth quirked and brows raised. "So where are your regular clothes?"

"Over there." Tatsuki pointed to the large wardrobe in the corner. "The ones I normally wear are in the drawers. The rest is all...dresses and concert stuff."

Every item Tatsuki never wore was pulled from the wardrobe. Ever skirt and dress and girly item that she never had time for before was set out and tossed at her, hemmed and hawed over until Tatsuki demanded to know what the hell was going on. Faith only smirked at her and tore a wide strip from a denim skirt, shortening the garment to micro-mini status. He tossed the item to Tatsuki.

"I'm going to teach you how to hunt," Faith grinned at her.

"I feel like..." Tatsuki shifted awkwardly in front of them.

"A ho?" Ryo finished. Tatsuki nodded. "You look like one."

"The best lure," Faith grinned, ignoring the face Tatsuki made at her friend. "I'd totally jump you if I was a guy."

Tatsuki blushed and lifted her arms to cover her chest, annoyed when it only served to make things worse. Faith had gone and grabbed a shirt Tatsuki didn't even remember having, a shirt from a concert she'd gone to with Ichigo before high school, and used a pair of scissors to slash the front up. The cotton of Ichigo's shirt was now straining, crimson bra peeking out from beneath. Faith hadn't let her wear anything but the too small miniskirt and right now, Tatsuki felt just as weak and powerless as she had when she watched her friends leave. The shoes weren't helping anything; Tatsuki hadn't even known she could walk in heels without falling on her face.

"Trust me Moon Baby." Faith put her hands on Tatsuki's shoulders. "That right there? That's power. You are power. I'm going to teach you how to hunt tonight."

Somewhere in between putting the clothes on and going outside in them, Tatsuki realized they were just that. Power. The cloths didn't' mean much of anything, but as her Honor Guard nearly collapsed in shock at the sight of her, she had to smile. She could bring people to the knees with a few well placed kicks, with the threat of violence and a glare. This was new. She'd never seen someone so dumbfounded before. She'd never made someone walk into a lamp post or gotten them slapped by their girlfriend before. Things like that belonged to girls like Orihime, feminine types. She'd had people open the door for her before, admiration and respect in their eyes, but never lust.

With each inch the moon rose above them, so too did the beast inside of Tatsuki.

"Tone it down Moon Baby," Faith grinned at her as they entered the night club. A fake id was returned to Tatsuki. "Find that thread you keep avoiding. The other side of H&H."

Tatsuki blushed at the words and the aggression inside of her began to simmer down. The other part of her, the other hunger that she'd been ignoring for a very long time, was almost fit to burst when Faith pulled her onto the dance floor. Just dance. Feel the people around you, the mood they were in, and let it all go.

She did. Awkward at first as Faith danced with her, she let the beat of the music pulse through her, the movement of her body matching in time. Other people joined them on the floor, someone male, someone female, until there was the scent of sweat and cologne and perfume mixing in the air around her. Until the humid heat of the club combined with the pulse of music and light and moving bodies. The bubble of tension inside of her popped, and while the hunger inside hadn't been satiated, it wasn't clawing at the inside of her skull any longer. It was lost in the pulsing beat. Nothing was important right now, nothing mattered, there was only dancing.

"Feel better?" Faith asked.

The moon was shining bright upon the earth. There was barely a need for streetlamps.

"I do," Tatsuki nodded. The slayer essence was purring inside of her, thrilled with the chance to be let out for something other than killing. "Thank you, for taking me out tonight."

"Any time Moon Baby." There it was again.

"Why do you call me that?" Tatsuki asked as they turned onto the next street. In a few minutes they would pass Kurosaki clinic. "Why not Dragon lady or...everything else they come up with?"

Faith gave her a very sad look. Sad, resigned even, and just a little hopeful.

"That's what you are now." She took a deep breath. "The second we're called, we leave the world of light behind. We visit, sleep in the sunshine, but when it comes down to it, we're creatures of the night. We are the light in the darkness, fighting alone inside of it." Faith turned to Tatsuki, smiling now. "We give hope to the living, and even if the slayer fades, we always come back."

They were passing in front of the clinic now. She could see the twins arguing and Isshin actually saw her, confusion on his face. That wasn't important though. Faith's words were ringing strong inside of her head.

"Plus I like calling you Moon Baby," Faith shrugged. "Dragon lady sounds so...boring."

"I have never heard anyone call a dragon boring."

When the slayer pangs acted up a few seconds later, she could hear Faith whisper to keep holding onto the purring sensation. Let the vampires come to you. Lure them in like a spider, and then destroy them before they knew what hit them. She'd doubted at first, feared that maybe they wouldn't come. The doubt made them hungry. The fear made them hurry.

"One more present before I go!"

Tatsuki was standing in her front yard with Faith, trying not to cry as the elder woman packed her luggage into the back of the taxi. She'd never had someone who understood so deeply what she was feeling. Someone who knew what it was like to deal with her night life.

Faith pulled a package from behind her back, tissue paper wrapped around something soft. Tatsuki accepted the gift and began to peel it open. She flustered when she held them up in front of her.

"Those, are called Leather Pants," Faith ruffled Tatsuki's hair. "Say it with me: 'Enslaves All Men'. And they don't stain when you get blood on them."

The taxi driver choked on his coffee when he heard Faith speak.

"Faith," Tatsuki looked up at her. "I just, I mean..."

"Hey now! No mushy stuff. I'll be back." Faith pulled her into a hug. "And on the off chance I go out like a bitch, well, you can make fun of me when you do too."

Tatsuki nodded and watched the elder slayer exit her front yard and climb into the cab.

Things were going to be a little easier now.

She wasn't alone anymore. She had to keep reminding herself of that as she walked home from school the next day. She wasn't alone. Keigo and Ryo were just out on a date, they were still her friends and one of them lived with her. She was glad they could be happy, find happiness in each other. It made her smile to see the normally cool and collected girl blush at Keigo's overly romantic acts.

Mizuiro was gone too, but his girlfriend was in he hospital and it had been a fight to get him to go to school that morning.

Still, she wasn't alone, she hadn't been since that fateful day when the man with the eye patch came into her mother's store. A side project Tatsuki went to manage about once a month to build character, polite and civil being the two aspects her mother strove the hardest to cultivate. She really didn't understand why her mother had opened the damn thing when she ran at least one company overseas. They sold holistic and holy items. Purified salt, cold iron pendants, sage and incense. A box of silver bullets was under the counter and as Tatsuki realized just What her mother owned, she'd never felt so wonderfully happy to 'build character'.

She turned around just as she reached the gate, excited beyond measure as she took a mental stock of what had been in the shop the last time she checked in on it. Her Honor Guard seemed confused for a moment until she told them where she was going. Three of them excused themselves from escorting her there. Her remaining two, the kendo club captain and the girl, apologized for them. The shift in her personality had given some of the club members hope that she might steer away from strange things.

Tatsuki didn't focus on it, instead she made her way towards Obake, smiling cheerfully as she went. When Isshin called to her, passing his house for the second time that day, she'd meant only to wave and keep going. He was looking at her though. Looking at her in a way that meant she wasn't going anywhere until she stopped and talked to him.

"Tsuki-chou!" Isshin cried merrily. He was leaning on the door-frame, arms crossed in front of him as he smiled wide. "I haven't seen you in a very long time."

"I've been caught up in...extra-curricular activities." The Honor Guard was close enough to hear everything, even if they did try to hide. She was lucky they went home at night, otherwise she'd be hunting and fleeing at the same time.

Isshin nodded to himself as he stepped aside for the twins. This was one of the reasons Tatsuki had been avoiding the Kurosaki house. She'd heard them stop all activity when Isshin called out to her, heard them thunder down the stairs as she explained herself. Karin ran up to her first, eyes narrowed as she demanded to know why Tatsuki had quit Karate. Yuzu wanted to know if she'd done it because she was sick. No, she wasn't sick, she'd quit because she was too strong for her teammates.

"I was actually injuring the coach," Tatsuki admitted as she sat in the kitchen with them. Bullied into sitting and having tea with her favorite family. "Even with all the padding, and holding back, I sent him the school nurse for cracking a rib."

Karin was leaning close to her, hanging on Tatsuki's every word. Yuzu poured her more tea and Isshin was fiddling with something he'd pulled from his pocket. She'd missed this actually.

"But you've been keeping up with your training? Right Tatsuki-neesan?"

An image of fighting vampires flickered through her head at Karin's question.

"Like my life depends on it," Tatsuki smiled. "What about you though? What have you been doing?"

She felt like she belonged there, listening to the girls as they argued, breaking up an argument Isshin didn't understand and giving both of them an ear when they needed it. Someone who understood what it was like to be a girl who didn't fit with the others. She was their Faith. Tatsuki only realized this as Karin regaled the story of some idiot boy at her soccer match. She was guiding them through their own journey into young womanhood, a light in the dark uncertainty.

"Tsuki-nee, you're not listening."

"Yes I was," Tatsuki argued. "Kazue has a crush on you, but he's being a dick," Isshin coughed. "An idiot, about things and you like Hino-kun even though he doesn't pay any attention to you."

Karin stuttered while Isshin began to weep loudly at the end of the table. Losing all of his daughters at once or some such thing.

"Hino-kun sounds a bit boring," Yuzu added her two cents. "He doesn't even know how to put a number in his cellphone."

"Neither does your brother," Tatsuki laughed. The two girls turned to stare at her. "What?"

"But, he has all those numbers in it!" Karin argued.

"Yeah, I know." Tatsuki smiled into her cup. "He came to me every day for a week so I could put them in."

She'd nearly forgotten about that. He'd come to her one day during lunch and all but shoved his new phone at her. She'd asked what he wanted and what had he done? He'd dragged her through the building, stopping in front of all of his friends and gesturing until she got the information to put into the dumb thing. That was the only reasons he knew who half of his shinigami friends were, name after name and pictures to go with each one because she Knew he'd forget otherwise. And then he left.

"Asshead," Tatsuki grumbled. Yuzu had started dinner and Karin was getting her homework from upstairs. Isshin cleared his throat once more. "Sorry."

"I have something for you Tsuki-chou." He extended his hand to her, a small object sitting in his palm.

"A charm." She plucked the object from his hand. She could feel energy winding around it.

"I know it can't do too much against a demon," Isshin leaned forward on his elbows. "But it should stop the more troublesome yurei from attacking."

"Thank you, Isshin. I mean it." Tatsuki removed the necklace she wore, the silver charm glinting innocently as she added the new one onto the chain. While she was putting it back on, she could feel the man watching her. Even if he'd always been outrageous with his own family, he'd been nothing if not patient and kind towards her. "I'm sorry for not visiting sooner. Vampires kind of eat into my schedule."

"Ah." Isshin waved it off as Karin entered the room with her homework. "Just remember to wear a coat from now on, hm?" He stood from the table. "A skirt that short, you're going to catch a cold."

Tatsuki blushed as the elder man walked away. He'd seen her last night, she knew that, but she didn't expect him to say anything. Karin's voice stopped her from falling too deeply into hr own thoughts, asking if she was any good at math or if maybe she could help her with her science homework. The slayer agreed to help the girl with her science, knowing that she wasn't going to make it to Obake tonight. The store would be there in the morning, Arisawa House was empty, and Tatsuki missed the twins.

The deep orange and black book was opened to Chapter 5, a large picture of the moon shining down upon the earth, surrounded by thousands of stars.

"Retrograde motion," Tatsuki began. "Stars and planets rise at nearly the same rate..."

~!~!~!~

~!~!~

~!~

The song playing at the club is Nothing at All by FC Kahuna. It's kind of the theme song for this whole chapter tbh.

If you're wondering about her shoes, they're from a site called Nasty Gal. The shoe selection is the entire reason I go to that sight. But! The item is called Rum Moto Boot

As to why Isshin calls her Tsuki-chou instead of of chan or anything else, Choujo is a title for the eldest daughter of a family. It also plays with the idea of Moon Baby, making her Moon Daughter. Not Butterfly.

Obake, the name of the family store, is a shapeshifting spirit. Literally, it is any spirit with the ability to shape shift Like calling a group of people athletes, even if they all play different sports.

This thing is so short...I promise they will get Much longer as time goes on. I do apologize for that.


	6. Sleep

Tatsuki adjusted her position in the sun, enjoying the gentle hum of the fan above her and the feel of air blowing lazily across her skin. She'd finally made it to Obake, the place where everything began, and she was pleasantly relieved to see that there was a nice big couch in the back room, right under a skylight and absolutely covered in sunshine. Tatsuki was faintly reminded of a cat as she began to doze off. A tabby cat, with a fluffy tail and long whiskers. She'd be a sassy cat. She jerked up moments later, hazy mind realizing that her sunny spot had left her and Ryo was standing above her.

"How was work?" Tatsuki asked, settling back into her spot. Despite the owner being dead, Ryo still worked at the flower shop. Clever math had transferred ownership to Moon Baby Inc. She needed to thank Willow for that. The sound of the other girl's hat and apron hitting the table made Tatsuki relax further into the couch. Vampires were really eating into her sleep.

"More active than your day," Ryo pushed Tatsuki over on the couch and joined her. "You really need to catch up on your sleep."

"I was." The slayer yawned wide, surprised when Ryo lifted her foot from the table. She lifted a single eyelid. "What?"

"These are new." She turned to Tatsuki with an accusing look. "I know you didn't have these in your closet." She dropped the foot. "You went shopping without me."

Maybe a little bit. After that night hunting with Faith, and the nights that followed, it was just easier for Tatsuki to hunt in heels. It was like dancing on tiptoes while kicking ass. She was taller too. Not that she was overly short, she had a good eight inches on Rukia, but she was four inches shorter than Orihime and Ryo both. It got annoying to find herself at chest height with everything she was trying to stab in the heart. She kept having to reach up! In heels she didn't have to. It was easier to kick them in the chest and there was less of an angle to overcome when she stood on equal ground with them.

"I suppose that would get annoying," Ryo hummed as she stood. A small smile was playing on her lips. "Come on, tippy toes. There's a sale at the mall and with your slayer strength, we can push our way through everything."

Orihime had never been much of a mall goer, Tatsuki realized as she and Ryo perused the racks. She'd never been much of a shopper either. Orihime just didn't seem to like much outside of cooking and sewing and Ichigo. She wasn't as affirmative as Ryo, nor was she so aggressive as Tatsuki herself. She focused too much on floaty girly things where Ryo actually helped Tatsuki find what she wanted and vice verse. She doubted Orihime would have even known what a club dress was. Tatsuki knew for a fact that she wouldn't have gone into the punk metal shop with her. Ryo nearly pulled her inside.

Apparently Chizuru and Minako weren't mall girls either.

"Someone's had a full day."

Tatsuki pointed out a sleeping security guard as they waited in the crepe line, making Ryo snicker. He wasn't the first person they'd seen napping, but he was certainly the funniest. Snoozing dutifully on the mall directory, they could see his tie flutter with every breath and the donut in his hand was threatening to hit the ground. Some few Janitors had been napping in hallways and beside restrooms, but something about seeing the normally hard-nosed guard asleep made both of them grin. Both could claim the man had harassed them, Tatsuki usually targeted for Ichigo while Ryo had the unfortunate luck to have Keigo or Chizuru as her sidekick. At least now they knew why they'd been left alone.

"Where do you want to hit up next?" Ryo asked as the line moved forward.

"I need underwear." Tatsuki stepped forward in line. "What few the maid didn't destroy in the washer ended up being shrunk down four sizes."

The maid wasn't bad at her job so long as Mother was home. The longer Arisawa Mai was gone however, the worse she got about doing her job. Forget doing it right, she'd get to the point where she wouldn't do it at all. Tatsuki didn't have the time to find a new one and she couldn't fire her without her mother's permission. Ryo had always done her own laundry, so she wasn't having issues, the boys did their own too. Tatsuki could take on a washing machine. She was full of this determination when she stepped up and placed her order, a small order because she didn't enjoy shopping on a full stomach.

"I didn't even know you liked shopping." Ryo sat next to her on the bench by the mall entrance. Bags surrounded them.

Dr. Ishida was on his way to the parking lot, unsuspecting of the bags that would soon fill his trunk before the two of them went back into the fray. It would be the third time they called him for something so trivial; Keigo had gotten locked out of his apartment two days after the hannya met her end and Ryo was too tired to walk home after work one day. They had warned him, and the good doctor swore he knew what he was getting into. .

"I usually shop with my mother," Tatsuki admitted. "Nine times out of ten we hit up a kimono shop and spend a few hours together before we go to lunch. It's one of the few things we can bond over."

"If I hadn't seen the collection in your closet I'd have doubted even that," Ryo shook her head. "Why don't you wear more girly things though?"

"I got really invested in karate. Most of my clothes were easy on, easy off." The slayer glanced down at her bags. "These ones are too."

"Except for the leather pants."

"Except for those." Tatsuki stood when she saw Ishida's car. "And the new jeans."

"Tights too." Ryo walked straight to Ishida's trunk when he stopped in front of them. "They get caught on your feet." She tapped the trunk when the doctor didn't open it immediately. The silver haired man released a sigh before doing as Ryo bade. When the bags were secured, the two girls thanked him, all but promising he would be needed again in a few hours. They had warned him.

"We'll see." The doctor was looking particularly upset. "We're getting quite an influx of patients today. Exhaustion mostly, but quite a few of them are injuring themselves falling asleep."

"I'll check it out as soon as I finish up here," Tatsuki sighed. She was going to finish at least one of her normal activities before slaying took over her life again. "Do you know if it's spiritual or demonic?"

"Nothing yet," he shook his head. "Dr. Kurosaki has been taking our overflow though. I'll leave your purchases there."

Tatsuki batted the girls' hands away from her bags when she entered the Kurosaki home. She could see that they'd gone through the things Ishida dropped off; they weren't too good at hiding their efforts. The tissue paper was shifted and wrinkled and one of the garments was hanging out of the bag. With a sigh, Tatsuki set her bags down, resigning to their fate as she went to find Isshin and ask what the trouble was; Ryo was already heading back out the door to investigate the hospital.

The clinic smelled the way it always had, not so sanitized as the hospital, the scent of death and sickness wasn't sticking to the walls here as it did there. She could smell the scent of a home just beyond the door and the cologne of the men who worked in the building. Faint though one of them was, this place was familiar to her in much the same way her mother's car was. Something Tatsuki rarely came into contact with now, but comforting in what it had offered her in the past.

One elderly man began to slump towards the floor to her right. She was quick to catch him, laying him against a younger thug so he wouldn't slip and fall again.

"Omaeda's been falling since he got here," Isshin noted as he sent a worried young woman away. A little girl was laying on an exam table with three other children. Children that young shouldn't have been suffering from exhaustion.

"Any clues?" Tatsuki asked. She hadn't felt anything unusual yet, but the Kurosaki family tended to make her slayer senses get fuzzy if she hadn't been near them in a while.

"I'd like to think so, but perhaps you could find it easier. You've been in contact with demonic forces far more than I." Isshin handed her a spare set of scrubs and sent her to go check on the people laying about the clinic. Her senses were adapting now. The tingle of demonic energy was trickling in as Tatsuki ignored the tingle of Karin and Isshin's spiritual energy along her spine.

"Why don't shinigami take care of demons?" Tatsuki moved away from the housewife and started checking out the children. Children always showed clearer signs of possession than adults. Surely enough, the spell woven around them was tangible to the slayer.

"They eat us." Isshin resumed filling out paperwork, handing a clipboard to Tatsuki. She rolled her eyes when she took it, realizing that it was missing key elements like heart-rate and gender. There was a sheet for every person in the clinic. Lazy goat.

"Wait, they eat you?" Tatsuki looked over at him. "Demons can eat Shinigami and hollows?"

"Not many, but enough that the Gotei stopped trying to figure out how to slay demons." He looked up when a new person entered the clinic. "Intangibility put a hindrance on our efforts."

Tatsuki could understand that. She continued filling out the charts as she assessed the victims. Now that she had the flavor of the spell, she could start picking it apart. She could relay the information to Ryo and together they could figure things out. Something about the spell bothered Tatsuki. Something about it didn't fit in with every other creature and magic user she'd fought so far. It almost seemed innocent.

"I think we just need to go buy our own set."

Tatsuki grunted at Ryo's statement. This was the third time they'd had to borrow a nurses uniform from either the clinic or the hospital. First thing in the morning they'd return them, but it was getting annoying to constantly go back and forth. She was too tired to think about more shopping just yet, even if it was for a good cause. Not to say today's mall trip hadn't been, but there was always a difference between helping humanity and staying out of jail for trespassing. Getting their own scrubs would help them in the second part and that would in turn help them with the first part.

"Tomorrow," Tatsuki yawned. She rest her head on the cold tile of the kitchen counter. "What did you find?"

"It's certainly demonic," Mizuiro nodded. His insomnia was catchign upw ith him. She could see it in his eyes. "I didn't notice any malicious intent though."

"Right!" Tatsuki sat up straight, reinvigorate by the discovery. "It felt innocent."

Mizuiro nodded eagerly as Ryo wrote their findings down on a list. Keigo had taken the codex from her when she got home, flicking through for something he was curious about. He hadn't spoken since.

"So an innocent spell is being cast." Ryo put her pencil to her mouth. "But what do the patients have in common? There's no genetic link, no age bias, and not all of them are Karakura residents."

Tatsuki let out a sigh as she realized they needed scrubs sooner rather than later.

"Go home Tsuki-chou."

Tatsuki let out a breath as she leaned back in the chair across from Isshin's desk, a quick trip to a local shop gave the girls what they needed and ten minutes after they found themselves right back where they started. In the four hours Tatsuki had been at Kurosaki Clinic she'd made a pretty sizable list of things the patients had in common. Ryo was doing the same over at the hospital and Mizuiro was playing concerned school mate where he could get away with it. Keigo was pretending to be the excitable co-worker and he was actually doing a fairly good job at the mail boy role.

"I have patrol tonight." She almost laughed at the look he gave her. "Just a quick run through the cemetery, I promise. Ryo took care of the ones in the morgue."

"Only through the cemetery."

"Promise."

~!~

Her cemetery trip had been a lot more intense than she'd planned. What was supposed to be a quick run-through turned into one slayer against seven vampires. These weren't newborns either. These vampires had been members of the fanged community since the Eighties if the clothes were any judge. A five minute fight turned into fifteen and then she'd run into another group, fledglings this time, but speedy little bastards and a two minute fight turned into a twenty minute chase.

Even Mizuiro was asleep when she got home at four in the morning.

Vampires were really cutting into her sleep. She hadn't even heard her alarm go off a few hours later. Tatsuki didn't hear it go off until almost ten. The full panic that set in had her running faster than she normally did, showering and brushing her teeth at the same time, no breakfast, clean uniform and the closest pair of shoes she could find before she was out the door.

The slayer ignored Isshin's laughter as she passed the clinic and she waved at three blurs she barely recognized. She avoided three cars only barely and when she arrived, just in time to slip in before the next class started, she was thankful to see Miss Ochi wasn't there yet. Thank god. Her classmate's were either smirking or rolling their eyes at her entrance.

"Finally," Ryo smirked from the desk next to her. "Sleep well?"

"Until I had to wake up." She pulled her notebook from her bag. Ochi didn't reference the textbook during class, so she'd be fine.

"Well, you may want to hide your shoes until lunch comes around."

Tatsuki's brows furrowed until she looked down. She knew something was wrong while she ran here. The teacher's entrance kept her from cursing out loud. It allowed her to ignore life for a moment when Ochi started the lesson. She could focus on taking notes, alert and awake in class for the first time in months. She could fully comprehend Ochi's lesson and even though she was forced to fold her legs differently than she usually did, she didn't mind having to sit still for an hour. In fact, she felt surprisingly normal. Like she was any other teenaged girl in the class. She wasn't even reminded that she was odd until Miss Ochi came through with their papers, pausing at Tatsuki's desk and looking at her feet.

"I wanted a pair of those so bad," Ochi sighed as she handed Tatsuki her paper. "They were out by the time I made it to the store."

"They were the last pair."

Ochi made a face before continuing to hand out papers. It went unspoken that if Tatsuki wore them again, she wouldn't get in trouble for it. At least, Ochi wouldn't get her in trouble for them. Yukimura didn't take issue when she came in either, though her eyes did flicker once or twice. Lunch was only half of an issue; her fanclub had started taking issue with her manner of dress. One member had even gone so far as to challenge her in the middle of the hall, claiming that her strength was false. That she'd cheated her way through her fights.

Haibara was resting unconscious in the nurse's office. She could have walked away, and she did hold back when she kicked his ass, but no one accused her of cheating and got away with it. She'd acted as she always had, punching the kid in the chest before kicking his feet out from under him. Then he got back up.

"And you punched him in the head? Am I correct?"

"I figured it was better than kicking him in his junk." Tatsuki was sitting in front of Yukimura, the only teacher who'd reacted to the event unfolding in front of them. "Yomotsuki's testicle still hasn't re-descended."

Yukimura looked at her as though Tatsuki had said something profound.

"Arisawa, you can't just attack the other students."

"He called me out," Tatsuki argued. "I was ranked the number one fighter in Japan the last time I competed and he was accusing me of cheating!" Yukimura tried to speak once more. "I do something openly girly in public one time and suddenly I'm completely inept? I'm not allowed to be a girl if I can kick someone's ass?"

"It's not fair." Yukimura summarized the slayer's thoughts. She understood exactly what Tatsuki was talking about, even if she wasn't a fighter herself. "Does this have anything to do with your mother and father?"

That was the first time Tatsuki had ever heard a teacher bring up her parents as a cause for her shift in personality. It was always about the death of her teammates or disappearance of her friends. Sometimes they suggested stress over senior year and no direction. No one had ever asked about her family.

"I don't see how that is any of your business." Tatsuki stood from the chair in front of Yukimura's desk. Was it so wrong for Tatsuki to want to change on her own? "Just, give me my detention okay?"

"No," Yukimura shook her head. "No detention. I just wanted to talk to you about what you did."

"I'm not sorry."

Tatsuki picked up her school bag and left the Teacher's Office. She gave a small wave to her old coach, glad he wasn't upset over her choice to leave Karate behind. He'd stopped her when Yukimura led Tatsuki inside, complimented her form and new method. He invited her to come judge the team tryouts next Saturday and mentioned the new equipment in the dojo. They would have kept talking if Yukimura hadn't stepped in. Nosy woman.

Tatsuki's mother agreed when the slayer texted her about the meeting. And then she was weird. She asked if she was the cause. No, she wasn't, her absence wasn't making Tatsuki act out, it was just easier to hunt vampires this way.

Tatsuki's eyes widened in shock at the message she sent back.

"Fuck me," she breathed, leaning against the wall.

_'That makes sense.'_

The slayer's brain stopped for a moment as she read the return message. What?

_'Why do you think I opened Obake? Get the key from my bedpost and open the black cabinet at the shop. Happy Hunting my dear. I'll come home soon.'_

When Tatsuki arrived home, mind still reeling, she was cut off at the stairs by her friends.

"We found three things in common!" Keigo shouted. The rambunctious boy paused when he saw her face. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Tatsuki nodded. "I just, talked to my mom about something. What did we find out?"

"The first thing they all have in common is that they've all been to the hospital," Keigo pulled her towards the kitchen.

Tatsuki raised her brows at his conclusion.

"What he means to say is that they all went to the hospital a week before falling under the spell." Ryo was standing at the head of the kitchen table, looking down over the collection of notes they'd made. Photocopies from old books, printouts of pictures taken at the museum, even a few old tablets Urahara had 'laying around' in the back of his shop. Seeing them and knowing where they came from made Tatsuki think of her mother's shop and what might be laying around in there.

"The second thing they have in common is a restaurant they ate at," Mizuiro held up a phone menu. "Also one week before."

"I really don't' want to go check out the hospital again," Tatsuki sighed as she let her bag drop to the floor. "Really, I think I've filled out more paperwork at the clinic than I have in the last five years."

"Not to worry," Keigo patted her on the back. "The doc is handling that part for us. anything spooky pops up, he's going to shoot it."

Tatsuki looked at the menu Mizuiro still held up. She was feeling a bit peckish. The more she thought about it, the hungrier she became. The confusion of her mother's words combined with the insult Haibara had given her and the whole thing was sprinkled with Yukimura's entire being. She wasn't just hungry, she wanted something to fight. Something big that could give her a challenge.

"I would have settled for a ghost!"

The only thing Tatsuki could kick aside from her friends was a pile of ash and charred timbers. The restaurant had burned down two days ago, after the first bout of curse victims had been hospitalized. On the way over, both doctors had called or sent a text informing them of yet more patients coming in. If the tenshi didn't hurry, the government was going to step in and put the town under observation.

Tatsuki moved through the scene, growing ever more frustrated ash she felt a distinct absence of demonic energy.

"What." She stopped and remembered Keigo's words. "You said there were three things they had in common." He nodded. "What was the third?"

"They're insomniacs." It was Mizuiro who answered her, their own sleep deprived boy. "When Keigo and I asked the family members, most of the women felt guilty about complaining their loved ones weren't sleeping enough."

"And the men felt guilt for pushing theirs to stay awake and finish their projects." The rambunctious boy was leaning into Ryo, his shoulder touching hers as her fingers brushed against his. "I'd never push you."

"I'd push back." Ryo wasn't looking at him though, her eyes were flickering with thought. "Mizuiro, what do you do at night?"

"I watch TV."

He found himself under sudden scrutiny. He'd been in the hospital in the last two weeks, not as a patient, but he'd been there. He'd also eaten at this restaurant before it burned down. The shy teen folded in on himself as the girls focused on him with unyielding eyes. Keigo only shrugged helplessly as the slayer began to poke him in the head and Ryo looked for symptoms the others had carried. Mizuiro found himself under constant observation as they went home. Not once was he left alone; not even in the bathroom. At least Keigo had gone in with him instead of the girls. He understood the concern, really he did.

"Don't you think this is a bit overboard?" he asked some time later.

"I do not."

The girls had made their beds in the living room and a pile of magazines was sitting in between them. Fighting, fashion, food, and gossip rags combined with a sizable amount of energy shots and girly things such as nail polish and facial masks.

"I meant the fort."

"That is downright silly." Keigo adjusted a corner of his structure. The amount of blankets, pillows, and futons in the Arisawa home combined had to make what was possibly the largest blanket fortress they'd had time to make.

"It is silly," Ryo looked up at her boyfriend. She looked back at their insomniac. "But we're letting him do it anyway."

It was the first sleepover any of them had been to since they were in middle school. The place where sleepovers stopped being coed. They'd broken that rule several times already. The place where each of them had found they were more interested in something other than that which their friends enjoyed. All four of them were doing something entirely different from the others. Or maybe they just lived further away from their friends. Maybe their house was suddenly too scary for friends to come visit. Except, they were having a sleepover in the house they shared and they all felt a certain comfort in the spells woven throughout the ancient home.

It was nearly four in the morning when Mizuiro did something they hadn't seen him do already. He grabbed the remote up, smiling wide as he flicked away from infomercials and towards a channel Tatsuki hadn't' known existed. Then again, she didn't watch TV all that much. She never had. Soft pastels spread across her screen before brightening and swirling to create the picture of a man with a large storybook.

"What the hell is this?"

"Sleepy Time Ranch," Mizuiro smiled at the screen. "I just started watching it a few days ago." He didn't seem to notice when he yawned.

"About how long ago?" Ryo asked, leaning closer.

"About a week and a half ago."

Tatsuki had moved to kneel by the TV, brushing her fingertips along the screen. She could feel it, ever so faintly. Demonic energy. She glanced back at Mizuiro to see him slumping forward in his seat. Turning the television off only made him fall further into unconsciousness. There was a flurry of activity as the three remaining tenshi attempted to wake their friend. Tatsuki checked for the feel of the demon's curse, pulling her hand back sharply when the spell snapped at her.

"His being a medium must have made it harder for the spell to take hold," Ryo surmised as she and Keigo lay him upon the couch.

"It still did though, didn't it?" Keigo's voice had gone hard, almost snapping at her.

"Ryo?" Tatsuki asked in a much softer voice. "Can you find out where this thing was filmed?"

The girl nodded, still upset by the harsh tone that had come from Keigo's mouth. Tatsuki wasn't sure what to say over the whole thing, but this was a side of the teen she'd never seen before. Keigo hadn't' taken his eyes from the other boy since he'd fallen under the spell, he hadn't removed his hand from his shoulder and when he'd spoken, he hadn't even spoken in Ryo's direction.

"I found it." the watcher came to kneel beside Tatsuki. "It's filmed right her in Karakura. The same warehouse where we killed the oni."

Neither were particularly surprised when Keigo was the first to rise from his seat. He'd nearly bolted from the room and up the stairs. The thump of his feet echoed as the two girls pulled their own weapons from beneath the couch and behind the television. Two of the places the maid had stopped cleaning a few months ago. Tatsuki really needed to talk to her mother about the woman.

"You might want to change," Ryo mentioned as they gathered their gear. Even though they weren't out to hunt vampires, it never hurt to carry garlic and a stake. In this town, it was probably the least you could do.

"Good point." The slayer darted up the stairs, passing Keigo as she went. "Hey. We're going to make things right. I swear." The boy with the axes didn't answer, he simply nodded and continued down. "Rude."

When Tatsuki returned moments later it was to see her watcher had grown increasingly upset. Keigo was standing on the porch, one foot on the bottom step while the other was on the ground. She might have told him to stay here had he been anyone else. Even now she wanted him to stay put.

"If you get yourself killed, I'm not being held responsible." Tatsuki passed him on the way to her front gate. "I mean it."

"I'm not getting killed," Keigo brushed it off.

Tatsuki shared a look with Ryo when he started going the wrong way. Ryo simply nodded, following Tatsuki as they went towards the warehouse district of Karakura. He would catch up or he wouldn't. If he didn't then they only needed to hope he'd been killed rather than turned. With his rage and tunnel vision, he'd only be a problem in a fight. The spell itself wasn't evil either.

The warehouse district was just as they'd left it, give or take a few crates and unconscious bums. Those were easy to avoid. Not that they needed to avoid anything around here. What few workers were there merely gave the girls a catcall before moving on. They didn't even know a demon was lurking about. When they saw the bright and colorful sign for Sleepy Time Ranch, she realized he wasn't' even hiding. When they went to the front door, they were greeted by a yukionna, the woman waving them towards the door as she continued talking to someone on the phone.

"Is it too much to hope..."

"Don't." Tatsuki cut Ryo off. "It's like saying 'hey, at least it's not raining'."

The crack of thunder outside only enforced Tatsuki's point to her watcher. The runner gave her a nod before they continued into the main studio. A single man was standing inside. Stuffed farm animals were leaning against the back wall and a large, fake book was sitting in a vacated chair. The closer they got to the man, the more her slayer senses started to tingle. A genuine tingle, nothing like the pain she normally felt.

"Oi!"

The demon jumped, dropping an apple to the ground.

"Oh, my, I, well I wasn't expecting, can I help you?"

Another look was exchanged. Was this guy for real?

"Your little show is putting people into comas." Tatsuki slung her sword over her shoulder. "Think maybe we can settle this?"

"What?" the demon nearly squeaked. "Oh, my, you see I, I was simply hoping to, that is, I'm a Yumekai. I, I give people dreams and sell the ones they don't want."

"Except?" Ryo asked. She was giving the demon her most intimidating 'mom' glare.

"Well, people don't sleep so much anymore." the demon began to pat his pockets down before pulling out a handkercheif. Tatsuki expected him to attack, but he simply wiped his brow. "It makes, well, it's makes me rather unhappy to see so many tired people. Terrible dreams, simply worthless."

"You sell dreams?" Tatsuki asked. She shifted her weight, wondering if she'd put her leather pants on for nothing. "Who buys them?"

"Well yes, there are, well, human dreams are rather like our version of a movie." The demon gave a bashful smile. "I must say, they can be quite enjoyable."

"People. Sleeping. Can you wake them up?"

Ryo's question made the demon puff up, nearly insulted.

"Well of course I can," he harrumphed. He grew slightly bashful again. "I suppose I need to clean up my spellwork." he picked his large book up from his seat before pausing to look at the girls. "You aren't going to...slay me, are you?"

"Dial it down a bit and we'll consider this probation." Tatsuki watched as the demon recited something in a deep and guttural language. Her phone went off some few minutes later. Ryo's as well. The good doctors were congratulating them. The patients were waking up, some healthier than they had been before. Mizuiro texted them a few minutes later, asking where they'd gone. Ryo was taking care of that one, telling the boy to call Keigo before he got eaten.

"Lady Slayer," the demon spoke up as she and Ryo turned towards the door. Sh turned to face him. "I can't help, well, I can't help but notice...you seem very tired. Have _you_ been sleeping well?"

"Part of being a slayer." Tatsuki shrugged it off and followed Ryo out the door. "Have a nice night."

~!~!~

There is one-two weeks between each chapter unless otherwise stated, just in case you were all wondering.

To answer some questions: Wouldn't you like to know! Mwahahaha! Seriously though, Ichigo is going to come back, he's about 2 chapters away. And believe me Lenbug, he is going to get more than his fair share of eyefuls. I did bump everyone up to Senior Year status because the idea of waiting 13 months is unacceptable to me. Additionally, Tatsuki, in cannon, is only 5' 1", so I bumped Ryo and Orihime to 5' 5" for the sake of comedy.

I like shoes. It's that simple. I'm in Fashion design and heels are my my weakness and miniskirts are a favorite of mine. And even if you're not super fashiony, and don't dress to impress, there's something about shoes that most every girl loves, and looking at them is fun.

At the beginning of this chapter, she's wearing France Strapped Boot – Black Suede from Nasty Gal. When she shows up at the clinic she's wearing Tweed As Can Be from the website ModCloth. When Tatsuki runs into class late, she's wearing Bare Traps Gretchen Bootie, on the DSW website. When she find the demon, she's wearing All-Ladies Road Trip Bootie, also from ModCloth.


	7. Power

Power/Energy

Tatsuki was troubled by the events going on in her town. After the dream demon, they'd gone to find their overly angry friend. Even Mizuiro had seemed surprised at the level of anger the girls described. Perhaps that was why they were actually glad to her him making a ruckus in the park. Screaming like a fool was something they were used to, something expected and when they found him swinging wildly at nothing, they laughed. When he'd cheered at the sight of Mizuiro and blushed at his rather thoughtless course of action, everything had gone back to normal.

Except he had been swinging at something. Something had been attacking him and even if his words had been panicked and jumbled as he relayed the tale, Tatsuki could feel it watching them. Something animal.

Her eyes flickered around the treeline as they walked back to the house. Whatever it was, it didn't feel like taking them on now. It wasn't big enough to take them on just yet and Tatsuki knew if she hunted for it, she wouldn't' find it. It would just run from her. Whatever it was.

"Tsuki-chan?"

She turned to face Keigo. All three of her friends were watching her in concern.

"You kind of spaced on us."

"I want you guys to stay out of the park," Tatsuki spoke.

She went back to staring at the trees. The thing she'd been seeking out was going into hiding, fading away more and more until only the faintest of buzzes tickled along the base of her spine. The others didn't question her about it, not when Keigo was trying to describe what had attacked him. It was almost unfair that they only believed him when Tatsuki backed it up. Especially when he'd never, to Tatsuki's knowledge, lied to them. Maybe that was why she always believed him.

She kept her sword ready as they walked home, still in need of a fight and incredibly disappointed to find she wasn't going to get one. Maybe she should just take the yumekai's advice and get some sleep. Sleep sounded lovely.

It was Thursday before Tatsuki felt the creature in the park again. A glimmering flicker of animosity on the edge of her mind cause her to bolt upright. It was gone just as quickly, the primal mind of the slayer both angered and confused as her logic started to wake up. It moved slower than the animal inside of her, the animal that had her descending to the ground via window and seeking that which had dared enter her territory. Logic and humanity kicked in as she stood beside the fountain at the park.

Dressed in nothing but pajamas, Tatsuki came to the realization that whatever this creature was, it was going to be troublesome. Nothing else had pulled her slayer out so fully for so long. Nothing else was so patiently waiting for the chance to strike. Feeling nothing, Tatsuki turned to head back home, brows furrowing as she saw something pale on the other side of the fountain. The smell of blood rushed her, coppery and raw, and when she moved to see what it was, she tasted it in the back of her throat.

The scream which had erupted from her throat, unbidden though not unwelcome, was summon by something far beyond the viciousness of a vampire. A body was leaning against the stone in a deep dark pool of blood. Skin was shredded and the face of the drifter was nearer to missing. His stomach had been torn out, a cavity of flesh dripping stringy tissue.

She heard the voices coming towards her, her scream bringing them to her location. The slayer couldn't move. The Girl couldn't move from her spot, staring in wide eyed shock at the scene in front of her. This was nothing she had seen before. This was not a body drained of spirit or blood, filled with a demon's essence or hollow energy. This was a human being that had been eaten by something with fangs and claws.

Someone touched her, a hand on her elbow.

It was a police officer. The one who had nearly caught them at the museum on the fifth. He was trying not to look at the body as he pulled her away, turning her to look away from it as he poke into his radio. He was guiding her to a nearby bench, moving her to sit and still keeping himself between Tatsuki and the body. He was speaking to her calmly and the Slayer inside of her had retreated to some place far off.

There was a blanket wrapped around her when she started to realize there were other people around. She was sitting on the bench still, police officers and forensics fluttering around the scene. The officer who'd taken her from the body was talking to several others, keeping an eye on her and the body both. He was the first to notice she was finally coming back to the world, excusing himself and waving one of the medics over. She hadn't seen them.

"You alright miss?" The officer asked. She was right; he was faintly demonic. The medic was sitting behind her, taking her pulse. "Must have been quite a shock to that. Mind telling me what you were doing in the park?"

"I had a strange feeling," Tatsuki told him. The medic checked a few more of her vitals, her pupils, her reflexes, even her throat, before saying she was fine and walking away. "It woke me up. I decided to clear my head a bit."

"So you took a walk?" the officer asked. "Without shoes?"

"I like walking barefoot in the park." She was starting to get defensive and she knew it. "I don't live that far. Less than a block away."

"Mind telling me the address and your name?" She told him both before asking what his name was. He seemed surprised that she would bother to ask. Surprised and a little proud when he finally told her. "My name? Lt. Zenigata Koichi."

"Thank you." She pulled the blanket tighter around herself. "For getting me away from..." She shook her head. She killed monsters for gods sake! "I saw my teammates die in front of me a few months ago, when the big explosions happened and the gas leaked. It's not the same though."

The officer let out a breath and knelt in front of her. He looked tired. He spoke quietly to her about knowing the feeling. It was one thing to see someone laying in a casket, it was quite another to crawl your way out of them after a disaster. Something like this, something so brutal wasn't something to forget. He asked her a few more questions. Where did she go to school? Did she work? Was there a way to contact her? Normal by the book questions and normal answers to her own. They'd contact her if anything came up. She was to stay in town and come in if they needed any more information. A few more things and soon she was in the back of a squad car getting a ride back home.

It was already 5. Her night of restful sleep had been cut short and trying to get some rest would end badly. No one would be going back to sleep she realized when she saw her friends coming down the stairs to meet her. She'd have to tell the story again. Maybe repeating it would make it seem less real. Maybe, it would distance her from the event.

Maybe Orihime would stop loving Ichigo.

It haunted her through school the next day. The rumor of the death had spread within hours of waking and someone had found out that Tatsuki had been the one to find it. She didn't know how many times she had to try and excuse herself from nosy classmates. Even her fanclub had no respect for what had happened. They were making a fuss over what she'd stumbled upon, demanding interviews and questions

Yukimura called her to stay after class. Again.

Tatsuki sat in front of Yukimura's desk, annoyed by her entire day and the idiots she went to school with. Five minutes went by with Yukimura simply sitting at the large oak desk, grading papers and sipping tea.

"So..."

Yukimura looked up at her.

"I thought you might like some quiet time."

She went back to grading papers, leaving Tatsuki sitting on the desk in the stillness of the room. The still, quiet room with the teacher who'd always kept her behind in hopes of reaching an understanding or reaching out to the 'troubled' teen. The slayer took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. A quiet room was a nice thing sometimes. So long as Yukimura didn't go and say anything to bust it up. She didn't look like she would though, she was too busy marking papers and reading essays. Holding them down when the breeze would come in through the open windows. It was nice, feeling the warm air ghost across her skin. A sunbeam was spilling across the floor and edging along her fingertips. If she closed her eyes, she could feel the radiant heat.

When Yukimura rose from her seat, Tatsuki was reminded that she was still at school. She still had two more hours to get through. Having a moment to center herself had been helpful.

Being home alone was never as fun as a person might think it was. Tatsuki should have been used to it. Used to the quiet old manor and the occasional footsteps of the made or the cook. Used to the rare glimpse of the gardener and once in a while she'd see the mailman. Living with others had made such loneliness nearly unbearable.

She found herself standing behind the counter at Obake, waving goodbye to the normal clerk as she watched the passers by. He needed to do something. Needed to focus on something that wasn't an empty house or an overly crowded school. The family shop was an easy enough distraction. Only a few people coming in or out, teens in search o love charms or candles, priests or miko coming in for a particular herb they needed for some such things. A few mediums and fortune tellers came and went, a witch her mother dealt with often and some new age housewives in need of a hobby.

The Slayer was looking over the books in between their visits. Looking for beast creatures and demons that only existed at night. She'd have to wait and ask Keigo about the details, but so far she'd been unlucky in her search. Most of the books in the shop detailed helpful and benevolent spirits.

She was halfway through with a book on tree spirits when Zenigata came in. The book itself was nearly useless, filled mostly with Western or Chinese spirits; at least it had nice pictures.

"Cutting out on school?" the man asked.

"Principal sent me home," Tatsuki sat up straight. "Figured I'd take inventory."

"Interesting place of work," Zenigata looked around. He leaned close to a display case, peering at various charms and crystals. "You believe in this stuff?"

"My mom opened it a few years ago," Tatsuki shifted in her seat. "Thought it would help me build character. So, sometimes I work here."

Zenigata noticed she didn't answer his question. He didn't speak on it though. Instead her continued to look through the shop, asking if there was a back room before asking to check it out. Tatsuki agreed, asking if she could lock the front door beforehand. Zenigata was a pretty cool guy, relaxed, just doing his job.

"So, have they figured out what happened?" Tatsuki asked as he looked through the back room.

"Figure it was some kind of wild animal," Zenigata finally admitted. "Probably shouldn't tell you, but after we took you home, they found two others."

While they were patrolling the park, they'd found a young woman, also out for a walk to clear her head, and a man in his thirties. DNA claimed he was a visiting businessman and the girl was a local college student. The drifter was still fairly unknown.

"It's a lucky thing we found you when we did," Zenigata told her. "No park barefoot walks, not until we find whatever is out there."

Tatsuki nodded in agreement. No more barefoot walks, only armed hunts.

She waited for Zenigata to exit the shop before she sent a text to her friends. They were going to meet at Obake after school and make a plan of some kind. In the meantime, Tatsuki was going to go bother Urahara. She hopped the counter, flipping the closed sign before locking the shop up and heading towards the other shopkeeper's domicile.

She did manage to keep herself from slamming the door too hard or breaking it off this time. She didn't ask who his guests were. She barely blinked at them when she did look at them. Shinigami, probably, he dark skinned woman was new, but Tatsuki was dealing with corporeal monsters. Creatures that took the bodies of hollow-victims for their own. The slayer stood at the door with arms crossed as she waited for Urahara to excuse himself. The dead could wait.

"Excuse me," one of his visitors spoke up, offended.

"Not interested," she cut him off. She pointed at Urahara. "We have a demon running around hunting people in the park. I need to know what kind of hairy beast only hunts before dawn."

Urahara moved to pour Tatsuki a cup of tea.

"Of course," Urahara gestured for her to take a seat. "I must apologize for the interruption Captain Commander, but I'm afraid I must assist the Lady Slayer."

"Tell everyone," Tatsuki snorted from where she knelt at the table. "Do you know anything about nocturnal creatures? It's not demonic, but it's not regular monster status either."

"Slayer or no," The old man began. "There are for more pressing matters-"

"For the dead." Tatsuki turned on him, eyes full of primal anger. "Say something useful or not at all Gramps."

Urahara stepped in before either said something they would regret. He asked what the creature looked like, how did attack and kill, who did it target. Tatsuki relayed the information pausing, pausing for just a moment as she told him what the drifter's corpse had looked like. She hated thinking about it.

"Inugami." Tatsuki turned to face the old man. He was sipping his tea, but something had settled over his eyes. "The creature you are fighting is an inugami. A wicked man or woman will become desperate for power and strength, but not so desperate they would kill another human being. So they prey upon the defenseless." He set his tea cup down before continuing. "They find a stray dog, or a wolf, and after gaining it's trust, the witch will bury the dog up to their neck, with a bowl of food just beyond reach. When the dog is close to death, they kill the creature, and the spirit of the animal becomes either a protector, or a murderer."

"How do I take care of it?" Tatsuki's hands were still holding onto her cup. The warmth of the liquid radiating through the porcelain and into her skin. "I'm guessing this isn't something you guys deal with, or it would be done."

Yamamoto raised a brow at her. Was she supposed to be afraid?

"No," he settled on saying. "You must find where the creature was buried and reconnect his head."

Tatsuki sighed and stared at the ceiling. Of course it was something deceptively simple like that. Oh, just find the head, don't worry that the park is forever huge and filled with vampires and swarming with cops. She pushed herself up to standing position and thanked the two men, the old man in particular before leaving the shoten and heading back to Obake. She had battle plans to make and shovels to find and she was so focused on her upcoming tasks, that she missed Urahara politely informing the old man of just Why she knew where to find Urahara, including Who had led her there in the first place.

"You're sure he said Inugami?"

"That's what he said," Tatsuki nearly singsonged.

She was spritzing holy water onto a shovel from the gardeners shed. Any other time before this, when she was still training to become the strongest and rage filled her being, she wouldn't have cared if she'd spritzed, sprayed, or doused something. She knew the difference between the words, always had; she'd never cared. Why should she? Something about fighting for her life made little things that much more important. It made the sunrise beautiful instead of just something pretty. Chocolate bars weren't a rarity, but she'd begun enjoying them just a little bit more. She was going to live each day to it's fullest, because each night might be her last.

Not tonight. She would see the dawn when she was done.

That was her mantra. Every night as she got ready to go out, she pushed that thought into the universe. Not tonight.

"Who's ready to catch a dog?" Tatsuki turned to face her tenshi.

Ryo slid the final bolt into her crossbow while Mizuiro set the scabbard of his weapon to the side. Keigo had one of his axes firmly in hand, a bit calmer during this hunt than during the previous one. The boys had stopped wearing their uniforms out and Ryo had taken to wearing jeans after their third vamp-battle. Dead or not, perverts still focused on one thing and Tatsuki used that to her full advantage. Tatsuki had thrown on her leather pants excited to finally use them after just letting them sit in her dresser in favor of the miniskirts that drew vampires.

"So, we're trolling through the park trying to find a small grave," Keigo announced as they walked through said park. "Do we have any kind of clues to where the dog is?"

"The attacks triangulate around a particular area," Mizuiro explained patiently. "All we have to do is sneak into the area while dodging the cops."

Ryo snorted at his words, causing Tatsuki to snicker. Dodging the cops wasn't nearly so easy as they made it seem in the movies. This was the second time they'd had to dodge them, Zenigata in particular. At last they stopped patrolling at night, they just stood in one place.

A moving light up ahead made her curse inwardly, ducking behind a tree while the others found their own. They would have had a hard time explaining why they were armed with shovels and stolen artifacts. They waited for Zenigata to pass around before they went deeper into the woods. With each step, Tatsuki could feel the chaotic energy building up. Ready to move, against them or away from them, Tatsuki wouldn't say. She'd jinx them no matter which one came out of her lips if Zenigata's still approaching form was any judge.

"Come on," Tatsuki whispered when she saw Zenigata's head turn away from them.

It was getting stronger now, closer, almost tot he point Tatsuki could feel it moving around them through the air. Tatsuki slid her shovel into the ground, pulling Midoriko from her back. The other three started to set their shovels aside as well until she told them to keep on the job at hand. They needed to find this dog and make things as right as they could.

"I found the bowl," Keigo spoke, kneeling beside an old hydrangea bush. His crouch had triggered the inugami's attack, fingertips touching the ceramic just as pearly white flashed in the darkness.

Midoriko flashed just as viciously, her usual song quiet as the phantom dog hit her. It was quieter than most of her fights had been, the yurei itself silent as it moved and jumped and landed. Even it's growls were silent. The only sound was that of shovels entering the soil behind her. She had to feel it move, too ghostly for her to depend so fully on her eyes. Even while it jumped directly for her throat, it flicked in it's movement, the breeze distorting it's form. She couldn't hit it while it was flickering like that, not if she wanted to do any damage. The most she could do was push it off and away from the others; most of that was thanks to the charm Isshin had given her.

It was weakening though, she could feel it waning ever so slightly as they days passed. The waning power combined with it's flickering form allowed the inugami to tackle her to the ground. There was intelligence in it's eyes. Pain, anger, betrayl. Like to like gave it pause before it tried for her throat once more.

"Good boy."

The creature stilled for a moment at Keigo's words. Long enough for Keigo himself to approach the tustle on the ground.

"You're a good boy," he spoke softly. "It's time to go home now."

"Keigo what..." the growling dog made Tatsuki fall silent. It turned it's attention back to Keigo, teeth stil just against the skin of Tatsuki's throat.

"I promise," Keigo moved just a bit closer. The sudden scent of his blood made Tatsuki turn to look up at him. There was a gash across his palm. "I will never let anyone use you again." The boy extended his bloody palm to the inguami. It tilted it's head slightly, eyes narrowed as it sniffed the offering. "When I was little, someone kidnapped my dog, and tried to do this same thing."

Tatsuki let out a breath as the creature moved off of her, tongue dipping out to take Keigo's promise.

It was a slow change, from rabid, moss covered, beast to soft white Kishu. Just a normal dog with a reddish stain around his neck. Tatsuki sat up slowly as the dog lay down beside Keigo's knees. Ryo and Mizuiro were both covered in dirt, looking thankful for the new development.

No skull had been found. Whomever had done the deed was now dead and the head forever missing. They'd dodged Zenigata by the same magic the Inugami used to avoid capture, over the creek and through the woods, to the slayer's house they dashed. Except Keigo had stopped outside of her gate. He'd bid them a good night before heading back to the apartment he shared with his sister back in Naruki City. Not uncommon in itself, he never spent more than a few days with them, but the dog trotting by his side made Tatsuki wonder.

"Are we sure we should just let it go home with Keigo?" Tatsuki asked. Her pants had barely gotten dirty.

"It's a blood pact. Safety for safety." Mizuiro was the one who spoke, looking out the window at the desolate park. "When you started telling us what the old guy said, he got a look on his face and looked for the codex."

Looking up blood pacts. Or maybe just looking up inugami and ambivalent spirits. She didn't know he'd ever had a dog before, much less that some asshole had done something so terrible to the innocent creature. The Shizu had been the sweetest creature she'd ever seen, and the slayer would have welcomed it into at least her yard. Except for the tiny little details spreading across her skin and irritating her eyes. Spirit dogs and real dogs shared one common trait.

Arisawa Tatsuki was allergic to both of them.

"Ahchoo!"

~!~!~

~!~

You should all know that this chapter was started on a grand total of three hours of sleep in almost three days. Midterm season has struck, as I'm sure some of you must be aware of/suffering from, and guess who got hers stolen? That's right, this gal, right here. Two weeks worth of work just gone and my good USB!So, I've been pulling all nighters and my wrists is gorram screaming in pain. Silver Lining : I'm getting to be faster and I'm still turning out quality work in the class.

Part two, it four days after I started this and I've only managed about ten hours of sleep since. So it's shorter, but it's not a very deep chapter, not like the next one. The retelling of Yura for those of you who read version 1.0

Also, how many of you noticed that Tatsuki is now a 'slaying moon'? Get it?


	8. Hair

The sun was stronger than usual that Friday afternoon. The air was warmer and while Spring hadn't fully sprung, the change in temperate was enough to summon sweat-drops along the backs of necks. It was enough to make the strands cling to skin, itching and tickling as the moisture formed. For one young watcher, it was nothing so terrible, it was a reason to pull her hair back after the chill of winter. For the three people around her, it was an annoyance. Her boyfriend's locks were just long enough to pull back into a little tail, only barely so long as an inch and mostly covered by the hair tie. Mizuiro was not so lucky, nor was the slayer. But while the former had gone to fetch a towel from the linen closet, the slayer was trapped.

Tatsuki was on the phone with someone, the cord of the phone tangling itself around her legs as she tried to find her cell phone. She'd been preparing to go get a haircut at some salon or other when the phone rang. Now she was fighting both plastic wiring and shaggy hair.

"Of course I'll take them," Tatsuki scoffed. She pushed herself from under the couch, wondering just why the plastic cord wanted to kill her. "I'd have offered to take them regardless of what you were planning to do, you should know that." She managed to pull a single leg free, pausing as she listened to the words on the other side. "Bring them by. We'll get packed now."

She hung the phone up and pulled pulled herself free, ignoring that she'd unplugged the phone altogether.

"Everyone get packed." Tatsuki stood from the ground and turned off the TV. "Kuosaki-san says the fight is going to spill over so we're taking the twins with us."

The boys stood quick enough while Ryo was left to ask what had just happened. Not that she simply stood there. Tatsuki had taken her by the hand and they were both heading up to Tatsuki's room. The boys were chatting back and forth, both obviously heading home rather than heading out with the girls. Neither minded, in world ending situations, you were expected to be with your family.

"Where are we going?" Ryo watched as Tatsuki pulled a large suitcase beneath her bed.

"My family has a cabin out in the country, near Sugisawa." Tatsuki look over at Ryo. "Grab something to wear, the staff gets weird when I don't' wear traditional clothing there."

Before Ryo could say anything further, the sound of the doorbell rang through the house. Tatsuki darted down the first floor to greet her guests, leaving one very confused watcher to sort out their packing. Ryo had never felt so much stress and urgency in a single event. Not once. The Kurosaki twins were quietly following Tatsuki around, surprised when she pulled them into the kimono room Ryo was occupying. The slayer left them once more, footsteps sounding from the attic above them only moments later. Ryo looked over at the twins, neither looked particularly happy to be rushed to of their home.

"We'll try to get out of the city before you get eaten," Ryo spoke up. There was no use in lying to them.

Tatsuki came back as Yuzu began to sniffle. An armful of clothing thrown into the suitcase she and Ryo were using before she ushered the three of them out of the room. Isshin was still in front of the house, smoking a cigarette as he waved farewell to the boys.

The train ride was strangely quiet, each watching the city limits with trepidation. It was only when the passed beneath the rapidly falling barrier that any of them seemed to breathe. Tatsuki had taken the chance to introduce her friends to one another. The conductor had taken their tickets only a moment after, leaving Tatsuki to explain where they were going to the twins. She was sure they knew enough about the pending battle. Hiding away from a fight and leaving others to risk their lives.

"A few months ago I wouldn't have run," Tatsuki sighed as she let herself relax into the seat. "The difference a few months can make."

"True enough, of course you're going up against different enemies now." Ryo was digging in her bag for something. "We're not going to your family home by the way."

"What?" The slayer jerked away from the window to stare at her friend. "Yes we are."

"No," Ryo pulled four slips of card paper from her purse. "We're going to Kosugi Onsen."

Tatsuki accepted the pass when Ryo handed it to her. One was handed to Karin and Yuzu as well. The purchase date had been some time ago, just before Chizuru had been taken from them. It was a week pass for a Girls Package.

"I got them for after finals," Ryo explained. "But, Minako is up in Hokkaido now and this seems like as good a time as any."

"Thank you," Yuzu bowed her head. "I've never been to an onsen."

"Don't bow," Ryo waved the action off. "I went to one when I was younger, just before my mother remarried. I didn't know this one was near Tatsuki's though."

"I didn't know Tsuki-nee had another house," Karin was staring at Tatsuki with an undefinable look.

Tatsuki let out a breath and looked at the pass a little closer. She was starting to remember where it was. The other side of town, closer to the forest than the mountain her cabin rest upon. Karin's statement made her refocus on her surroundings.

"I never had a reason to take anyone," Tatsuki admitted. "It's not like I have many friends. Most of them don't have the time to go out into the country."

"Is it nice?" Yuzu asked. She was curling up in the seat and settling down for the long ride ahead of them. "Sugisawa and the onsen?"

"Sugisawa is," Tatsuki nodded. "I don't know about the onsen though, last time I went there it was nothing but charcoal. It caught fire when my mother was a little girl."

She only knew this because her mother had taken her to go and look at the burnt out shell when Tatsuki herself was a little girl. There was a very specific reason she'd been taken there, a reason Tatsuki couldn't quite remember. Yuzu was asking more questions now. She wanted to know if they could go to the cabin after the onsen. By her third question, Tatsuki could tell Yuzu was preparing herself for the worst. Karin wasn't saying much of anything, just looking out the window as they spoke. She was angry, scared perhaps, certainly she felt as though she'd been dumped onto someone.

"Karin, come help me find the dining car." Tatsuki stood from her seat and started for the door. When Karin didn't follow immediately, she waved her over.

Karin was a bit sullen as they walked down the hall, away from their private compartment and towards some place unknown. The further they walked, the more Tatsuki could see Karin was angry at her. There was an empty compartment just ahead, she could see the open door; not many people traveled to the country on a Wednesday. The slayer went inside, waiting for Karin to enter before she slid the door shut. Oh yes, the twelve year old was angry at her. She could see it in her eyes now. She could see quite a bit in her eyes. Tatsuki took a seat, leaning forward on her knees as she waited for Karin to follow suit. The girl sat down next to her.

"You think we're running away."

"Aren't we?"

Tatsuki leaned back and pulled Karin to her side.

"No. We're not. You know, and I know, that we can't fight this kind of enemy." The girl settled against Tatsuki's side for a minute. "Ghosts, hollows, I can't punch those things. You can't kick them."

"We have to do something though!"

"We are." Tatsuki looked down at Karin. She'd never seen the girl cry, not once. Even now, all Tatsuki could see was the barest glisten of tears. They were getting brighter though. The strong little girl was trying to keep the wall up. "We're staying out of the way. We're letting your dad focus on kicking some ass."

"I don't want him to die."

"That old goat?" Tatsuki pulled Karin closer, letting the younger girl hide her face as tears began to fall. "The day he dies is the day Yuzu stops liking pink."

Tatsuki looked up when Ryo walked into the compartment almost an hour later. Karin had fallen asleep against her, the wall crumbling in the presence of someone stronger. Someone she could trust. Her friend quietly told Tatsuki that they were getting ready to stop before leaving them alone once more. The slayer was gentle as she woke the younger girl up, catching the little fist before it connected with her jaw. Karin was awfully angry when she woke up. Enough so Tatsuki almost jumped away from the tiny girl. The train began to slow down as Karin woke, brain registering and remembering what was going on and who she was with. She only barely blushed when she saw Tatsuki grinning at her.

"C'mon grasshopper," Tatsuki stood. "Let's go get our stuff."

The town of Sugisawa was a small one. More an intersection of driveways than anything else. The Arisawa family home was to the West, two large farms to the East and a small ranch towards the North. The was a small clinic, a post office, a small school and a fire station. Several hiking trails and campgrounds were more towards the south, it was by these that the onsen was constructed. There were smaller homes in between, two and three room homes with little families that worked in the town itself. There were no cabs, and there was no cell reception. Tatsuki ended up using the station phone to contact her family home, requesting a car be sent so they could get to the onsen before it closed for the night. It left them about fifteen minutes to relax and have a slight discussion. Except for one thing. Ryo felt the need to talk.

"Apparently the onsen used to be run by a witch," Ryo hummed as she sat on a bench. She was flicking through a tour guide.

"A witch?" yuzu's eyes went wide with trepidation.

"Don't worry, she was mostly harmless unless you were a grown woman or a handsome samurai."

Tatsuki chose to glower at her friend. She knew there was something odd about Ryo insisting they go to the spa instead of Arisawa Manor. Then again, her mother had stressed the importance of the onsen burning. Why?

"We're both a ways away from that," Karin assured her twin. "These two though..."

"Thanks, Karin." Tatsuki saw the car approaching them, a vintage vehicle that belonged to some uncle or other once upon a time. "Let's get to the spa. Maybe the witch can do something about my hair."

The drive from the station to the onsen wasn't a long one, but it was long enough for the caretaker to start on about a small group of raccoons that had taken residence up in the attic. He complained about the staff, as well as the weather and a group of local children who swam in the pool. The caretaker had never liked children, not even Tatsuki.

"I'll swing by once I'm done here," Tatsuki promised as they pulled up in front of the onsen.

"I'll have your rooms prepared," the caretaker nodded as the girls unloaded from the car. "I assume you will be staying until the roads have been repaired, miss?"

"Uhm, yeah." Tatsuki had wondered what the shinigami would use to keep people out. "We're actually pretty lucky we made it here before the rails got damaged."

"I will tell the Staff then."

The old man nodded at her and waved before driving back down the road, leaving the four girls standing before the gate of the spa. They weren't' standing long. Two women were scurrying out of the main door, one unfolding an umbrella while the other rushed to open the main gate. They were twins, Tatsuki realized as she looked at them, but umbrella girl was clad all in pink, while the gate girl was all in blue. They were both plain, unassuming young women, but the woman who stepped out after them was anything but. Her kimono was folded low on her bust, revealing a bust to rival Orihime's; an elaborate hairstyle and dramatic make-up only added to her image. She was strange in the same way Yukimura had been.

"She looks like a prostitute," Ryo whispered into Tatsuki's ear.

"I was just thinking that," Tatsuki snickered.

The Woman stopped in front of them, smiling warmly as she welcomed them to her humble onsen.

"Ah, I see another set of twins have come to stay." The woman laughed lightly. She reached out to pat the two girls on the head.

"Visit," Tatsuki corrected her. The matron stopped and looked up at Tatsuki. "We're visiting for the weekend."

"Girl's Package," Ryo held up the passes. Tatsuki could tell she was trying very hard not to say something about the woman's falling kimono. "Can we come in now? It's starting to rain."

"Of course," the matron smiled. "I'll have Tama and Koto find rooms for all of you."

"Can I have a room by the garden?" Yuzu asked. Her eyes were bright, and while she hadn't been uneasy with the matron's actions, she seemed to have picked up on Tatsuki's change in mood.

"I think we can find a room for you," Matron nodded.

"I want a room with Nee-san," Karin shifted to stand behind Tatsuki. The matron nodded slightly, a look of light strain in her features.

"I'm not letting my twiddles out of sight," Tatsuki spoke up. "Wherever the twins go, I'm going."

"I think-" the matron was cut off.

"I don't want to stay by myself if you three are sharing," Ryo snorted. "I'm joining you.

"I don't know that we have a room large enough," the matron admitted, standing up straight. Her eyes were wide and the smile was becoming forced. Even her voice was getting ready to break from the strain of their demands. "Our guests often enjoy spending time by themselves, in solitary reflection."

"If you can't provide a suitable room I'm going to need to use your phone." Tatsuki put her hand on Karin's head.

The room the matron finally provided was in fact two rooms with the doors removed. The matron had tried time and again to dissuade them, growing visibly frustrated with each deflection, until finally she mentioned the cost of removing the partitions and shoji doors. She hadn't looked any happier when Tatsuki told her to send the bill to Arisawa Manor. In fact, she seemed to get a little bit angry. Matron seemed to remember herself, because a few moments later she was smiling as she told them the meal schedule and when the springs were available to them.

"I didn't even know you had kimono Tsuki-nee-san," Yuzu chirped happily. She was enjoying their vacation more than any of them so far; all they'd done was check in and start changing.

"I'm not surprised. I don't really wear them to festivals." Tatsuki finished tying Yuzu's obi. "I haven't worn this one since I was your age."

The kimono in question was soft pink, with little plum blossoms all over, collecting along the hem of the garment and amassing on the obi. Ryo had agreed to help Yuzu with her hair, dressed similarly in a dusky rose and green furisode, though her's was decorated with lilies.

Tatsuki patted Yuzu on the shoulder to let her know she was done and waved Karin over. The younger twin had chosen something more like Tatsuki. Where Tatsuki wore a soft blue furisode with soft cream and violet dragon flies, Karin was wearing a soft cream kimono with blue and green dragonflies. Even their Obi matched in the same manner. Yellow blossoms on blue for the elder, blue against yellow for the younger. It was cute, and it made Tatsuki worry. What if Karin decided to follow her around too closely when they got back? If Karin became a slayer, Tatsuki would have no issue teaching her to fight, but as it stood, she was human and a child. If something happened to her...

"All done," Tatsuki smiled at the girl instead. "We all ready for dinner?"

They weren't the only girls dressed so formally at dinner than evening. Three other guests, the only other guests, were dressed in just as many layers, if not more. One of the guests, an old woman with snow white hair and a kind manner, was having a very lively conversation with Yuzu. Sango was staying at the spa until her son finished remodeling her front porch. When another guest, a business woman by the name of Kairi, asked if the porch was close to her bedroom, the old woman laughed. No, her porch was on the otherwise of the house, but the paint gave her a headache.

"What about you three?" The final guest was someone who rubbed Tatsuki the wrong way. Kana, the daughter of some CEO, who wore loud colors and didn't seem to care about anyone. "Why are you here? Looks so common and tomboyish as yours, I'm guessing a contest."

"No, actually." Tatsuki really want to punch this girl, but that would break the first rule of slayerdom; no killing humans. "I live nearby."

"Despite her appearances, Arisawa-hime comes from a very old, noble, family," the matron cut in before Kana could speak up. "I remember seeing her home when I first moved here, I couldn't believe my eyes." She sighed, shaking her head slightly. "When I tried to invite the family to my humble residence, I was saddened to find they only visited once a year."

"My mother and I have been living in Karakura," Tatsuki explained. The Kana girl was looking at her differently now. Suddenly, Tatsuki was a way to gain prestige and a title of her own. "The both of us are always doing something or other, being stuck out here would be a nightmare for us. So, my mother decided we were going to live in the townhouse."

"Now, I heard your family was involved in spiritualism," Sango spoke as she set her cup down. "Shamans, right?" The old woman nodded. "Yes, I remember doing a report for school on Onmyoji, your family name was in it, I'm certain."

The slayer was suddenly very uncomfortable with the amount of focus on her. Everyone was staring at her, eager to know, even Pink and Blue had stopped playing their instruments to listen for her answer.

"You've found me out." Tatsuki set her hands in her lap, hiding the fact the she was worrying the hem of her sleeve. "Now we run companies instead of kingdoms. It's a modern world, and I enjoy being a modern woman."

"Everyone knows there's no such thing as magic," Ryo agreed. She was sitting to Tatsuki's right, smiling for the world to see as she laughed at the blatant lie. Her smile was enough to make Tatsuki start to giggle. "Can you imagine, twelve foot oni running around the streets?"

"Or Kitsune running ramen stalls?" Tatsuki laughed.

The other guests began to add their own ridiculous notions, Yuzu and Karin joining in their laughter when ghosts and shinigami were mentioned. How absurd their life was. How secluded these people must be to have not heard of the 'Hoax' that spread across the news just last Summer. Dinner passed pleasantly after that. Kairi the Business woman asked what the family did now; her mother was a consultant for several large corporations. Same thing, different name. Sango continued to ask about amily myths and legends while Kana suggested they go and have one of the matron's special beauty treatments. Tatsuki's face and kimono didn't quite match her hair, according to the young woman.

"She's quite right," Matron nodded. She looked at Tatsuki's locks. "They seem quite damaged, and a lady of your standing..."

"I'm a normal high school student," Tatsuki cut them both off. "I'm involved in martial arts and I'm quite happy with my hair."

"Of course, ojou," Matron apologized. "It was rather out of place for us to suggest you were lacking in some way."

Tatsuki did not enjoy dinner after that. Not when everyone at the table started in on looks and how much appearances mattered to the world. She and the twins found themselves focusing on Pink and Blue's dance, talking about school or plans for when they got back home. Even when the Matron or Kairi tried to pull them into the conversation, the three of them ended up being pushed out by mention of parties, beauty, or dating.

"Tatsuki's waiting for someone," Ryo answered when Kana tried to needle at Tatsuki again.

"Really?" Yuzu asked, eyes sparkling as she tried to imagine who it was.

"Ryo doesn't know what she's talking about," Tatsuki waved it off.

"So you don't have a crush on Ichigo?" Ryo asked. She was smiling, full on smiling at her with eyes full of mischief and Yuzu's squeal of delight was high enough to shatter glass. "Admit it Tatsuki, just once."

"Even if I did, and I'm not saying I ever did or that I still might, He's..." Tatsuki waved her hand.

"No! No, no, don't give up Tsuki-neesan, if you marry Ichigo you can really be our sister." Tatsuki could see the wedding bells ringing in Yuzu's head.

"Yuzu, your brother and I are in two different worlds," Tatsuki tried to argue. "He has his job and his friends and why are we even talking about this?"

"Oh child," Sango laughed. Her wrinkles and kindness made Tatsuki relax ever so slightly. "I must admit to being quite curious about him. You keep running your hands through your hair when you talk about him."

"Who cares if you can have him?" Kairi agreed. "The only way to move on is to admit you have feelings for him."

This entire dinner was turning into one big interrogation. Tatsuki ran her hand through her hair, pausing when she realized the old woman was right. She let her hand finish it's course before falling to her lap. Yuzu and Karin were both staring at her intently, unwilling to help her escape the question because they wanted to know just as badly.

"I..." she let out a breath. "I suppose, I might occasionally imagine what it would be like to..."

Sango's chuckle saved Tatsuki from having to finish. Understanding, not mocking. Kana seemed confused as to why anyone would turn down the advances of a wealthy family while Kairi only nodded. Even the matron seemed to have some sort of sympathy for her, suggesting that perhaps her need to cut her hair so close was a form of mourning that which she might never have. Dinner couldn't nd soon enough in Tatsuki's opinion. The women had gone back to psycho-analyzing behavior, though Ryo stayed out of it this time.

"Are you upset with me?" Ryo asked as she refilled Tatsuki's teacup.

"No," Tatsuki shook her head. She looked over at Karin, wondering if the youngest twin would say something about her confession. "You seem to drag the truth out of me pretty often."

"Do you really like my brother?" Karin asked. Her voice was quiet, but easy for the slayer to hear over the chatter of the others.

"Yes," Tatsuki nodded.

"Would you date him, if you could?" Yuzu asked. "If he asked you?"

"Before, yes. I don't know anymore."

"Because he's lying about his job." Karin's words were right on target. "He's an idiot. You're way too good for him anyway. He's an idiot and a hothead."

Dinner didn't last much longer after Karin gave her final verdict. Sango rose, apologizing for her age and the amount of sleep she seemed to be needing. Kairi rose as well, offering to walk Sango back to her room as she too wanted sleep. Kana was focused on the matron's beauty treatments, uncaring of the world around her. The walk back to the room was slow, the twins growing drowsy despite the excitement that had run through them only moments before. Yuzu still spoke dreamily of weddings and Karin continued to argue with her, both voices low and sleepy. As the twins drifted off, Ryo suggested a late night visit to the hotsprings, that was why she'd bought the tickets after-all.

The springs were still open when they arrived. Open and inviting, the steam curled up into the night air and Tatsuki could smell the minerals in the water. When she slides into the water moments later, she doesn't care about anything. Certainly not the events at dinner or the fact that her Twiddles seem to be planning her impossible wedding. She hasn't been to an onsen since her mother took her two years ago, right after Tatsuki won her first competition. Her mother wanted to sneak out late too. Except Arisawa Mai didn't sneak, she went, and woe to anyone who tried to stop her. When she'd wanted to open Obake back in Karakura, there wasn't a person who spoke against her. Not when so many people depended on her for advice with their own businesses. Marriages too. Everyone went to hear what she had to say. Advisor to common man and CEO alike, Mai was a firm believer in helping others and keeping balance.

"My mother is an Onmyoji," Tatsuki breathed as she put together years of behavior and belief. Ryo looked at her. "That's why she didn't try to commit me or get upset when I told her I was the slayer."

"You've just joined the family business." Ryo looked back out across the garden. "Obake is more than just a side project."

"It's my heritage."

They were silent for a moment, only the sound of the deer scare and various night birds told them time passed.

"You think she can tell us how to get the akateko out of the tree by my window?" Ryo looked over at her.

Tatsuki laughed. Somehow, she doubted it; it wasn't in their luck to have someone who knew would know that.

~!~

"This room smells strange."

Tatsuki looked over at Yuzu. They were sitting in their room having breakfast. Simple, traditional foods, eaten in simple, traditional garments, hundred of miles from the real world. They discovered last night that there wasn't even electric lights in the spa. Central heating and running water yes, but no light bulbs. The matron was really pushing the whole 'traditional' thing.

"How so?" Ryo asked.

"I don't know exactly, but it smells like lilies. None of the other rooms do unless the Matron is there." Yuzu was thinking about it quite seriously. "I noticed it last night on our way to dinner."

"Maybe we ended up with the matron's room," Karin shrugged.

"I don't think so," Tatsuki shook her head. "I asked Pink about it, they all sleep in a separate building. "You only smell it when the matron is around?"

Yuzu nodded. Damn. She wanted a weekend to relax, not four days of trying to track down a witch and dealing with nosy neighbors. Tatsuki let out a breath before telling Yuzu to get her if she ever smelled it again.

"I'm going to the massage room," Tatsuki set her breakfast down.

She hadn't even started to eat before Yuzu spoke up. The stress of what had happened yesterday had compounded with what was about to happen. All of that was piled on top of her life as a slayer and the war going on in her home town. She deserved at least one relaxing activity before she had to get covered in monster goo and possibly run from hollows for the rest of her life. So she was going to get a massage, sit in the gardens, and soak in the hotsprings. She was going to enjoy it immensely and if it was offered again, she was going to take Sango up on drinking some sake together.

She didn't smell lilies as she went to the massage room, she didn't smell anything strange actually. Only the smell of the onsen and, upon entering the massage room, the smell of warm almond oil and lavender. Neither Pink nor Blue was inside, rather, a slim man Tatsuki was going to start calling Green. He looked a lot like Pink and Blue, a few years older, obviously male, but he wore a green uniform with rolled sleeves.

"Welcome Arisawa-hime," Green bowed. They just kept calling her that. "Please, let me know when you are ready."

He stepped out of the room and Tatsuki began to disrobe. Yes, she was going to get a massage and relax this weekend. She finished and laid face-down on the table, covering herself with the sheet offered before calling Green back in.

"Tsuki-nee-san."

Tatsuki lifted a lid to see Yuzu staring at her. She was still in the massage room and judging by the light, she must have fallen asleep. Green's hands were magic, that was the only answer. Sure, he may or may not have been working for a homicidal witch, but he was good at what he did.

"Hm?" Really good.

"I smelled it again. The lilies." Yuzu moved to kneel. "I went to go and visit Kairi-san, she asked about making a cake for her fiance and," Yuzu paused and shook herself. She knew when to stop herself and refocus. "I smelled it again inside of her room, but it was stronger."

"More concentrated?" Tatsuki asked, pushing herself up. She pulled the sheet around herself and sat up fully. "Headier?"

"Yes. It was sweeter." Yuzu nodded. "It made my drowsy to be in there. It was much warmer in her room too, and it's much smaller."

Tatsuki licked her lips as she considered what Yuzu was telling her. She could see now why the matron had been so upset to put them in a bigger room and all together. Yuzu was also very good at picking up small details no one else could. This could be a problem. What was she thinking, it Was a problem.

"Alright, stay here while I get dressed and we'll walk back together." Tatsuki picked up her furisode from earlier. "From now on, we use a buddy system."

"Nee-san?" Yuzu asked as Tatsuki tied her under layer closed. "Should I be scared?"

"No." Tatsuki slid on the furisode itself before kneeling in front of Yuzu. "Fear cuts deeper than any sword. Be aware, be cautious, but never let fear in."

Yuzu nodded as Tatsuki stood back up. Not bothering to tie her obi, the slayer opened the door and waited for her Little. Yuzu was carrying herself differently now, shoulders back as she tried to bury the fear. It made her sad to know that she was going to be the one to tear the veil from Yuzu's eyes. Karin had seen the hollows that attacked her. She'd attacked them and she knew about some of the things that went bump. Yuzu didn't. This weekend would be the first time she'd see the things under her bed. Seeing Tatsuki's world might actually give Yuzu an advantage in the long run. It was one thing to be told a monster was out there, another to see the monsters.

Tatsuki opened the door to their room, standing outside while Yuzu entered. At least in Tatsuki's world, Yuzu would see what she was running from.

"You're flashing me," Ryo hummed as she wrote in her Watcher's Journal.

"Like you care," Tatsuki snorted.

She slid the door shut and moved to sit in front of the twins. She threw the silk out from under herself, unaware of the scene she made to those gathered. Like a yakuza queen of the old century preparing to tell her underlings of the new plan. Tatsuki looked up at Ryo, speaking without words on what she was about to do. Her watcher let out a soft breath before moving to sit at Tatsuki's right. The codex came out and Tatsuki prepared to tell her Twiddles the truth.

"I'm going to tell you two something very important, alright?" The twins nodded. "Your father knows, and Dr. Ishida knows, but no one else except for Ryo, Keigo, and Mizuiro. I don't want anyone else to know."

"I won't tell anyone," Karin nodded.

"Not even Ichi-nii," Yuzu agreed.

Tatsuki wasn't sure if she was more relieved or amused by that.

"Into every generation, a girl is born..."

She told them everything. She told them about the mass calling of the potentials around the world and her own calling almost five months afterward. Called late because she wasn't a potential, she was the next in line, and no spell would have turned her into a slayer before her time. Tatsuki told them that Ryo was her Watcher, a coach and a friend she could depend on to help her fight off vampires. Ryo and the boys helped her hunt down the demons and the things that went bump in the night. Tatsuki even told them about the Inugami living with Keigo and his sister, keeping the two of them safe because Keigo had treated him with kindness.

"How do you kill demons?" Karin asked.

"I use a..." Tatsuki trailed off. "Crap. I left Midoriko under the couch."

The slayer slumped down the the floor, staring at the ceiling and cursing. She left her sword at home. It wasn't like she'd been expecting to fight off a demon during a weekend getaway, and she certainly didn't think she'd need it in her own home. She could try to call the main house, but the matron sat in on every phone call according to Sango and Kairi. How could she ask the Caretaker to bring a weapon to kill the woman sitting next to her? Tatsuki would feel terrible the whole time.

"You depend on Ryo-san and the boys a lot, don't you?" Karin was leaning over to look at Tatsuki.

"I really do."

"Why don't we wait it out a little longer?" Yuzu suggested. "I mean, we're here for four days, after tonight, we'll be halfway through."

"It could work," Ryo admitted. "But how do we keep the other guests alive until then?"

"We'll just have to find some way to take her out in between tonight and Monday morning." Tatsuki pushed herself upright. "I'll try to remember what my mother told me. I know she told me how they defeated her last time."

A chime sounded throughout the onsen. Soft and low, it let everyone know that tea was being served in the main room. Yuzu had been talking about it since they'd arrived the day before last, excited to participate in a formal tea ceremony, but she didn't seem too eager to leave the room now. Not until Ryo volunteered to go with her. Tatsuki needed to go through her kata and Karin didn't seem eager to do anything except sleep.

Or so she thought. As Tatsuki rose and began to change, Karin asked if she'd been glared at by the matron yet.

"I don't think she's stopped glaring at me," Tatsuki snorted. She looked at the youngest of the twins. "Why? Did she do something to you?"

"No." Karin shook her head. "She just keeps glaring at my hair. I think she whispered to it when she passed me earlier today."

Tatsuki redressed and motioned for Karin to stand with her. They were going to go an investigate while Ryo and Yuzu had the matron's attention. Pink and Blue would be with her no matter what, and Green never seemed to leave the massage room. As they left the room, Tatsuki felt a small hand creep into her own. Her own tightened slightly around it as they crept through the halls. Past the Massage room and Kairi's room as they looked for clues.

"Maybe we should look into Kana's room," Karin suggested as they approached said room. "It is possible she's just sick."

"I suppose so. I was kind of looking forward to hunting a demon."

Tatsuki knocked on the door to Kana's room. Once, twice, Tatsuki was about to knock a third time when she heard a muffled moan come from within. The door stuck, no demonic aura, but certainly requiring a bit of slayer strength to get it open.

There was nothing inside. Not a single suitcase, no sign of life, nothing remained inside of the room save a rolled up futon and a wardrobe. Tatsuki entered the room carefully, keeping Karin behind her as she went further in. The slayer tingle was starting. Not a demonic tingle or a vampire tingle, this was something different. This was like the sensation she got whenever a hollow or a ghost was around, but while those gave off a jagged and cold sensation, this one as jagged and hot. It burned low and intense, like stepping barefoot on a hot stone. It didn't increase in strength as she moved through the room, it simply stayed in her abdomen, almost mellowing the more she moved around.

"Shouldn't we check the wardrobe?" Karin asked as Tatsuki pulled them from the room.

"No." Tatsuki shut the door. It snapped shut, like an angry old woman or a teen slamming their door. "Whatever is in there now, it isn't human."

Karin didn't shy away when Tatsuki let her slayer rise; she moved closer. She kept a hold of the sleeve of Tatsuki's furisode, trailing behind her as the Slayer prowled through the halls of the onsen. Tatsuki followed her senses through the hall, minute ripples in the air growing stronger as she went. Following them almost before falling away. The slayer reached out to touch one, hissing as something seemed to sting her. Whatever it was fell limp against her skin, the stinging sensation extending to wherever the thing fell against her. She leaned closer to see a single black hair laying limp on her finger, her own blood beading along it's length from the cut beginning to wrap around her hand. Not a sting of demonic energy, but a slice by a witch's hair.

"Back to the room," Tatsuki let the hair drop to the floor. She was already healed when she set her hand on Karin's shoulder.

~!~

"Right, we need to compile everything we've learned so far and lay it out in front of us."

Tatsuki was pacing the room, tapping her fingers against her elbow. Ryo and Yuzu had returned not too long after she and Karin. There was four hours before dinner came and Tatsuki wanted the witch taken care of tonight. No more messing around. If the Matron had just let her guests be, left them alive, Tatsuki might have done the same in return. Kana might have been a bit uppity and rude, but she was a human, and it was the duty of the Slayer to protect humans.

"The inn has been burned down at least three times," Ryo spoke up. "Once during the Heian era, once during the Meiji Era, and about twenty years ago."

"Okay, so every time there's a shift in power, the inn pops up." Tatsuki came to sit at the table with the rest of them. "And every time it pops up..." Tatsuki leaned back as her mother's words came to her. Combined with the knowledge of what her mother was and the memory of what her family did, Tatsuki knew what had happened. "The Arisawa Clan doesn't approve of such nonsense. We've been burning it down, that's why the matron hates me..."

"And your hair." Yuzu looked up at her with confidence. "She told us to try and talk you two into one of her special hair treatments."

Ryo nodded while Tatsuki and Karin could only stare. A part of her, a very small part, wondered what it would be like to have long hair. It wasn't worth exposing her neck to the crazy witch.

"Back to the arson plans," Tatsuki sighed. "It shouldn't' be too hard. The whole building is lit by oil lamps."

"What about the hairs?" Karin asked.

"What hairs?" Ryo asked.

"Razor sharp hairs hanging from the rafters in the back of the building." Tatsuki looked out into the garden, wondering how she was going to get Kairi and Sango out. "I'm pretty sure Matron knew when I touched one."

"She did seem a bit distracted around the end." Yuzu admitted. "Although, Sango's son came to collect her, so it may have been that."

"Well, that just laves Kairi, doesn't it?"

"I don't think so." Ryo looked up from the notes she was making. "When we asked about Kairi, the matron didn't seem to know who we were talking about."

It was time to get down to business. With no more guests, the four of them only had to worry about burning the onsen down. Ryo and Yuzu were plotting out where every oil lamp stood while Karin dug through her suitcase for the soccer ball she'd insisted on bringing with. Tatsuki wasn't going to stop at burning this place down though. It had been burned a good many times, but it always came back. She wanted to know how to make the witch stay dead. She had the feeling her family had tried beheading before. Beheading and fire were two of the only ways to make sure anything was truly dead.

"What if she's already dead?" Tatsuki asked suddenly. "I mean, what if she's an onryo, bound to some...thing here at the inn?"

"It's possible I suppose," Ryo hummed. "I don't know enough about ghosts to say yes or no."

"Dad hasn't said anything about ghosts," Karin grumbled. She turned to Yuzu. "As soon as we get home, we're making him tell us."

"I can hide mom's poster," Yuzu nodded. She started to smile, very small and embarrassed. "I never thought I'd say that. Then again, I never thought I'd actually see a ghost, and now I'm helping to exorcize one."

"If we do have a bound ghost," Ryo flicked through the codex, "Then it's down to two options. Either she's bound to her body and it's buried somewhere on the grounds, or there's some sort of object that keeps escaping the fire."

"We'll come back for that," Tatsuki brushed it off. "For now, let's just take her down and get out."

A chime rang through the onsen to announce dinner. An hour earlier than usual. It seemed as though everyone's plans were being pushed ahead of schedule. A silent question was asked between the four of them. Did they eat with the witch's spirit, or did they raise her suspicion by remaining in their room? Tatsuki made the choice for them, blowing out one of their lamps before pouring the oil onto the floor. She did the same with two others before leaving their room, sniffing at her hands to make sure the oil hadn't spilled on her skin. Not too much, not enough to be questioned. Ryo and the twins followed her, Karin keeping an eye out for Pink or Blue as they went while the teens blew out two more lamps and poured them out along the wall.

The matron didn't even suspect when they entered the dining room. She was smiling, strained though it was at the sight of them. Tatsuki could feel the heat again and Yuzu whispered about lilies behind her.

"Oujo, I was afraid I might need to come and fetch you," Matron laughed. "Is a tea ceremony very boring to you?"

"Excruciating," Tatsuki seated herself beside the matron. "Sitting for so long, unable to do anything save watch and wait." The matron poured her tea. "I'd go crazy waiting so long."

The matron's slip wasn't noticeable to anyone save the slayer. The minute twitch of her muscles as the teapot was set back on the table. Pink and Blue had come out and were now playing the shamaisen and koto.

"I have a hard enough time waiting for the train," Tatsuki continued. "And my job? I've had to spend hours waiting for someone to show up. It's torture, walking around through the rooms of the shop, reading the books, looking at the computer all day."

The string of the Koto snapped, a sharp twang resounding through the room. Pink rose and moved the koto from the room. When she returned, it was with a fan and a mask.

"Please, forgive me," Matron apologized. Her voice was growing tight. "There can be a great deal learned from silence and patience. The proper time to act, the perfect time to strike down one's opponent."

"Patience, sure, but the stillness...stuck in one place," Tatsuki shook her head. The dancer was skipping steps, her movements growing slightly jerky. "Pink isn't doing so well is she?"

"Perhaps we should begin dinner." Matron's tone was growing close to unpleasant.

"Mm, I really don't like sitting down longer than I have to."

Throughout the meal, Tatsuki and Yuzu both commented on the annoyance of sitting still. Yuzu found it nearly impossible to do so with her family. Karin spoke of her teammates and of the upcoming soccer game; she was so excited she could barely sit still, barely sleep. Ryo agreed, mentioning that a track meet was coming up before too long. With each word and phrase, they could see Matron getting further upset, they could see Pink faltering in her steps while Blue started to miss notes. With each mention of freedom and movement, they were frustrating the bound ghost further and further.

"Ojou," Matron spoke up as Tatsuki brought up her plans for the salon. "I would be more than happy to help you into one of my beauty treatments." The matron's fingers came up to brush through Tatsuki's hair. "As pretty as it is short, it would radiate joy if you gave it the freedom to grow. Perhaps your lover would come to his senses."

Tatsuki didn't miss the tone she took. As though her hair had a mind of it's own. Her fingers were still running through Tatsuki's hair, and politely as she could manage, Tatsuki pulled away from the witch's attention.

"I think I'll keep it this way." Tatsuki couldn't help the tiny smile that came up when Matron glared at her. "If he can't see me by now, I doubt he ever will."

"Maybe," Matron smiled back. "I'm afraid I'm not feeling very well. Please, excuse me."

"Of course."

Tatsuki was hardly surprised at what happened next. The moment Matron left the room, the door snapping shut behind her, Pink and Blue attacked. The shamaisen shattered to reveal a rusty blade, while Pink's fan had turned into a collection of nails hammered into a chunk of wood. The slayer rose just as quickly, launchign the table at the puppets. Blue was caught, strings snapping as she fell to the floor under the weight of the table. Pink was faster, the hairs keeping her aloft doubling to keep her from falling as well. Tatsuki ducked down to grab Blue's dropped blade, flinging it at the hairs before Pink could reach Ryo and the twins.

"Stay behind me," Tatsuki kicked over one of the lamps. The oil spilled across the tatami, flaring up and eating away at the dried grass and wood. The four of them darted out of the room, just before it snapped behind them. The corner of Tatsuki's sleeve was caught in the door for mere seconds, falling away to reveal it had been cut.

Tatsuki wasn't sure what Karin was doing with the soccer ball until she kicked it. Every lamp in the hallway was hit, spilling flames along the floor where they fell.

"I really liked that ball," Karin grumbled as Ryo started dragging her along.

The quartet continued along, faster this time as the flames licked along the dried and varnished wood. Tatsuki managed to get them into the open, cursing when she realized the onsen had shifted on them. Instead of escaping to the outside world, the entrance hall had led them to the hot springs. The space was enough for them to remain safe, but not so long as the matron was staring at them from the water.

She'd changed. Still clad in her colorful kimono, her makeup was bottled and her once shining hair was matted against her skull. Great bald patches exposed ivory bone while drooping yellow eyes glared balefully at them.

"You, don't know, what you had," Matron bit out. "Freedom, families, love!" She was climbing out from the water. "You had the sun on your skin, and laughter!"

"And you have early female balding," Tatsuki gestured to her. "But hey, I'm not holding that against you."

The Matron screamed before launching herself from the water and towards the slayer. Tatsuki wasn't prepared for the amount of force the onryo witch had thrown at her. The two of them tumbled back intot he inn, Tatsuki holding the witch's sorpse at bay as cinders fell from the ceiling. The could hear ryo and the twins outside, the elder swinging at puppets with a fallen branch.

"I dunno what your problem is," Tatsuki grunted. "But you're done."

The slayer's leg came up, kicking the matron off of her and into the flames. The pained wail summoned a wave of dizziness, causing the slayer to stumble from the high pitch of it. The charred form of the matron was crawling out of the fire, towards her, enraged and screaming.

"You, you who punish us so unjustly, so cruelly!" The matron was beginning to swell, matted hair dripping with blackened blood. "You, for every pain you inflict on those closest to you, so shall you suffer the same!"

She screamed again, a wave of energy exiting the onryo's mouth and hitting Tatsuki squarely in the chest. The feeling of burning stones returned to Tatsuki, pushing out as fiercely as the flames around her pushed in. The sensation was unbearable, too intense and too painful. The slayer fell to her knees, trying to make it to the door.

What a way to go. Death by fire.

~!~

Something cool was on hr forehead. The familiar scent of home was drifting through her nostrils. The scent of incense and herbs, of old wood and soft heat brought Tatsuki from the darkness. She could hear the soft pitter patter of rain and the soft whisper of Ryo comforting someone. She could hear Yuzu's sniffles and when she finally opened her eyes, Tatsuki could see her old nanny smiling above her. Okiku had always been kind. She'd always treated Tatsuki with grandmotherly affection and when Mai was away, Okiku would sing her to sleep.

"Ah, ojou," the woman smiled and pulled the cloth away. "Welcome home."

"What happened?" Tatsuki could still taste the smoke in the back of her throat.

"Old Kenta saw the onsen catch fire," Okiku answered. "He called the volunteer firefighters and they arrived just in time to see you faint."

Tatsuki had never fainted in her life. Never a once. Until now. She was woman enough to admit it. Okiya laughing quietly above her would have made it impossible to deny.

"Can you tell me why my head hurts so badly?" Tatsuki tried to move. The faintest movement made the entire room spin. It was all she could do to shut her eyes and focus on her own body.

"Ah, I do apologize Ojou," Okiku bowed. "We tried to cut your hair while you slept, I do know you like it short. Whenever we cut into it however, it bled."

With great effort and aid from her former nanny, Tatsuki forced herself into a sitting position. As she leaned forward, trying to steady her vision, a wave of ink fell over her shoulders. Her hair was not short and thin any longer. It was long enough to puddle around her waist and thick enough to block out the light. The scent of smoke and blood clung to it, making the slayer's shoulders hunch as she tried not to heave. It was too much, the scents, the feeling, the ever present burning of the onryo and her curse.

Okiku held the bucket steady as she emptied her stomach.

When she next woke, it was to see Ryo sitting next to her, reading silently. Her head hurt less and the scent of stale blood and acrid smoke had left.

"Your nanny decided we should wash your hair while you slept." Ryo's eyes never left her book, but Tatsuki could see the relief in them. She could feel Ryo's hand resting on hers and when she tried to sit up once more, the book hit the floor and her friend was helping her.

"It bleeds?" Tatsuki asked as she steadied herself. Her slayer healing was acting slower than usual. "My hair _bleeds_ when you cut it?"

"Heavily," Ryo nodded. "I think you might be stuck with long hair for a while."

"I'm hungry," Tatsuki grumbled. She moved her legs off of the bed, furious at her slowed reaction and her lack of strength. "Very, hungry."

"Well, you have been out for three days now."

"Holy crap," Tatsuki breathed as she leaned on Ryo. Out of her bedroom and into the koto room, out into the hallway and through the upstairs hall before the two of them reached the stairs. "I hate this house."

"This isn't a house," Ryo snorted. "It's a manor. I got lost my first night here trying to find the bathroom."

"It's connected to the koto room," Tatsuki snorted.

"Yeah, I found that out when Okiku saw me wandering around and doing the bathroom dance." Ryo helped her to sit on the top step. She helped Tatsuki pull her hair out from under her too; the new length meant making sure she didn't sit on it. "You really weren't kidding about them being traditional, were you?"

Tatsuki let out a chuckle as she took Ryo in fully. The girl was dressed not only in a furisode, but her hair was pulled back and she was wearing an outer robe as well. Tabi were on her feet and Tatsuki could feel the girl's misery over the undergarments Okiku must have forced upon her.

"Not at all," she shook her head. There was a giggle building in the back of her throat, just bordering on a chuckle as it came out. "I'm excused because I'm sick."

"Shut up." Ryo stood, pulling Tatsuki with her, and the two of them slowly made their way down the stairs. "We still have to go back once you've healed up."

"I know. I think I know where she is too."

"Ojou, are you certain you're strong enough?" Okiku had come with them to the charred remains of the onsen. She stood near to Ryo and the twins, hand resting on the arm of a firefighter. It seemed as though the entire village of Sugisawa was waiting for whatever Tatsuki dug up. That was strange. She'd never had an audience before, although the villagers had been bowing to her since she was very young.

"Yeah," Tatsuki nodded. "I think I see her actually."

Those gathered began to whisper excitedly. A whole village of superstitious people, elated that an Arisawa was going to banish a ghost for them.

"It doesn't make any sense," Ryo hummed as she knelt next to the hotspring Tatsuki was about to enter. "Why hasn't your family done this before?"

Tatsuki wondered the same thing. Instead of replying, she moved a rather large chunk of rock at the bottom of the spring. A rock that didn't match up with the rest of the others. It wasn't flat enough and it wasn't set into the bottom as the others had been. As she began to heft it, arms shaking slightly, one of the firefighters came over to her with a length of rope they'd tied to the back of a truck. She thanked him before looping it around the rock, tying the makeshift harness off before waving for them to go. She helped them to guide it off of the Matron's body. Before, only her fingertips had been sticking out from under, but as the truck moved forward, the rest of her was revealed.

The burning feeling was lessening inside of her. The weight of it was gone and Tatsuki could swear that she was feeling joy coming off of the skeleton.

"Ryo, you got everything ready?"

"All set."

She could feel the matron's soul clinging tot he bones. Weak, barely there at all, but enough to tell Tatsuki she was still there. Still trapped in her prison. Very carefully, Tatsuki began to gather the bones, placing them gently into a bucket Ryo held out to her; with each bone, the feeling of heat disappeared from Tatsuki's senses. Even the remains of the kimono were pulled out and handed off. There was one item at the bottom of it all that caught Tatsuki's eye. A single hair pin, covered in years of mineral deposits and only the gods knew what else. When she picked it up from the bottom, she could feel nothing in it. No ghostly presence, evil or otherwise. The crowd was so fixated o Ryo carrying the bucket to the fire, they never saw Tatsuki slip the pin into her pocket.

The bones were salted and ready when Tatsuki finally got out of the hotspring. After this, Tatsuki was going to give the woman a proper burial. Centuries hidden away beneath stone and boiling water, it must have been torture. For just a second, she wondered if she was going to feel the flames as she burned the body. Had the matron's ghost linked their souls together? She didn't think so. It seemed too unlikely and the rush of joy that she'd felt as she removed the woman's bones was not her own.

The flames were bright green and violet, reaching up for the heavens as the bones began to purify and blacken. She saw the ghost rise from the bones and heard the frightened gasps coming from behind her. Softer and delicate, the ghost was younger too, finally at piece and finally able to see the world without rage coloring it. The waterlogged kimono she'd worn at death was clean and new. She even wore the hair pin Tatsuki now had in her pocket.

"Thank you, ojou," the ghost bowed. "I am so very sorry for the pain I caused."

"Just go reincarnate or something," Tatsuki waved her off. "I do want to know one thing though. What's your name?"

"Tsubaki," the ghost smiled as she faded away.

"Are you sure she'd want to be buried as an Arisawa?"

Tatsuki looked down at Karin. A week had passed since Tsubaki had passed on. The funeral was taking place in the shrine behind Arisawa Manor, a visiting priest performing the ceremony while the townsfolk knelt on the ground behind Tatsuki and her household. The whole town had shown up, surprising Tatsuki when they told her what a good job she'd done. Proud that she could put the onryo to rest rather than banishing her for a little while. It was strange to have a sudden acknowledgment and appreciation for what she did. Normally she got a test or extra homework.

"She was supposed to be," Tatsuki answered as the priest began to fling sake on the tombstone. "I remembered what my mother told me, about Tsubaki and her haunting. A long time ago, when our family was just beginning to aide the emperor, the eldest son fell in love with an orphan girl. Their match wouldn't give the family power, or high standing, but they were in love.

"When the wedding guests began to arrive, one of them spotted Tsubaki and decided he deserved her far more than my ancestor did. He talked the matron of the onsen into inviting the couple over the night before the wedding. For a long time, everyone assumed Tsubaki ran off with the man, lured away by his charms or money."

"He must have killed her when she refused him." Karin looked back at the ceremony. "I hope she gets a second chance with your ancestor's soul."

"Me too."

As the ceremony ended and the guests began to mill about, one of the maids scurried out of the manor with a slip of paper in hand. She didn't speak as she handed it to Tatsuki, she merely bowed and waited. The message was simple, a number and a name, along with the time the call came through. Isshin was calling them home.

~!~!~

Twiddle – This is a sorority term for Twin Littles. When a Sorority sister is given a freshmen to mentor and guide, they are called a Little and the sister is called a Big. Kind of like a Kouhai/sempai relationship, but more personal. It continues to build up, the Big becoming a Grand-big once her Little takes on a Little of her own, thereby becoming a Big and it's all very confusing now, lol!


	9. Hero

Ichigo reached up to his neck, feeling frantically before his fingers wrapped around a chain. His shoulders sagged with relief and a sigh escaped his lips. The cold desert night stretched on all around them, stealing everything away from sight. Had he lost this...he'd never have gotten it back. He wasn't going to let the desert of the dead steal anything else from him.

"Ichigo? Are you okay?"

Ichigo looked over at Rukia to find that everyone was staring at him. Nell and her fraccion were confused by his actions, Chad and Ishida were waiting for him to announce something bad had happened, and Renji was looking at him very calmly. He knew, even if the redhead didn't know, he knew.

"I thought I lost something," he shook his head. His hand dragged the chain out, clasping around the bauble hanging on the end of it to keep it from sight. It was his secret, his treasure.

"A necklace?" Rukia raised a brow. "I've never seen you wearing a necklace before."

"You've never seen him topless," Chad spoke up from his spot. "It follows him from human to spirit form and back."

"What?" Rukia asked, leaning forward to get a look at the object in his hand. Ichigo leaned away. "Would you just let me see it? It could be dangerous."

"Just leave it alone," Ichigo put the necklace back into his robes.

"Why would Ichigo's necklace follow him?" Nell asked, crawling over to him. Her tiny hands tried to pull the necklace out. "Is it special?"

Ichigo caught her hands and pushed her back, trying to keep himself out Nell and Rukia's grasp. It wasn't working very well, especially when Pacchi decided to reach down Ichigo's shirt and pull the item out. The glint of silver in the moonlight hushed Rukia and Nell both, a silence moved through the small group and anyone could feel the emotions coming off of Ichigo.

_~!~_

"_Ichigo!"_

_The fourteen year old turned at the sound of Tatsuki's voice. His best friend was weaving her way through the crowd of festival goers, cotton candy in one hand and a small bag hanging from her wrist. Ichigo began to move towards her, leaving his father and sisters behind in favor of hanging out with Tatsuki. He could see her mother in the crowd behind her, speaking with a priest about some thing or other._

"_Hey Tsuki," Ichigo met her halfway. He always liked seeing her during festivals, especially winter festivals. During those, she wore kimono and heavy robes, looking for all the world like a princess as higanbana blossoms peeked out of her obi. He always felt under-dressed next to her, dressed in jeans and a heavy coat to keep the cold out. He'd give it over to her by the end of the evening, like he always did._

"_You look nice tonight."_

"_Thank you," Tatsuki blushed lightly before handing him her cotton candy and digging into her bag. "I uh, I got you something. For Christmas." She pulled a small box from her purse. "Here."_

_Ichigo took the box, handing the pink sugar back to the girl._

"_I didn't get you anything," he apologized. _

"_Just open it," Tatsuki stuck a piece of cotton candy to his nose. "Worry about a present next Christmas."_

_He pushed the pink fluff into his mouth and opened the small box to reveal a small silver charm, no bigger than a nickel. It shone strangely, with a crescent shine or shadow on it at all times. Protect had been engraved on one side, and on the other, an odd symbol was winking up at him. _

"_Even a protector needs something to keep him safe. Maybe you could finally beat me with it on," Tatsuki smiled at him. Her arms were clenched at her sides to keep herself from shivering and her cheeks had grown rosy from the cold. In a few minutes, he'd have to surrender his coat; he wouldn't get it back until tomorrow and then it would smell like her. That was the reason he kept fighting with her, not to beat her, but to be near her._

"_Doubtful," Ichigo pulled the charm from the box, hardly reacting when Tatsuki took it from him. The box went into his pocket as she reached up to put it around his neck. "Thanks Tsuki...what does this thing mean though?" _

_Tatsuki looked at the side he'd lifted to her. _

"_That? Don't worry about that." Her hands had gone back into her sleeves and he wondered why she continued wearing kimono to winter festivals. _

"_Just tell me," Ichigo started to take his coat off. Sure enough, she'd turned around ad extended her arms so he could slide it onto her. He didn't though, instead he leaned over her shoulder. "Tell me, or I let you freeze."_

"_Victory," Tatsuki smiled up at him._

_~!~_

"I beat her for the first time the next day." Ichigo was twirling the charm between his fingers. "Every time I wear it, I win." He wore it when he got into fistfights and when he was taking a test. He'd worn it into the storming of Seireitei, he'd worn it as they fought against the bount, and he was wearing it now. Urahara and the viazard had teased him about it, but he was glad it followed him around. He was glad some part of Tatsuki was able to come with him.

"What did you get her in return?" Ishida asked.

"I gave her my mother's winter kimono." Ichigo tucked the charm back into the folds of his robe. "Tatsuki was going to wear it this year...I had it planned out." Ichigo looked up at the endless night sky and smiled softly. He didn't hear the sounds of surprise that came from the girls. "I was going to go to her house this weekend and ask her to the winter festival, just the two of us."

"She's going to punch you," Chad pointed out. He was smiling as well.

"Yeah," Ichigo chuckled. "I deserve it though. As soon as we get back, I'm going to tell her truth and I'm going to ask her to the cherry blossom festival instead."

~!~

* * *

~!~

The night she and Ryo had returned, Tatsuki had gone straight to the computer and skyped with her mom. They'd shared quite a bit of information back and forth. Including recent curses both of them had been dealing with. Her mother had been over the moon at the result of Tatsuki's curse, not so much the bleeding part, but the length; Mai had demanded Ryo get a measuring tape and tell her how long it was. The slayer had liked the idea of long hair, but the sudden excess made Tatsuki's neck hurt. It made her scalp hurt, it gave her headaches, and for the last week she'd been been going through a helluva lot more shampoo than normal. She'd even recruited Ryo to help her wash said hair after patrol the other night.

"I keep sleeping on my hair," Tatsuki grumbled as they walked to school.

"You should let me braid it," Ryo sang at her.

"It's four and a half feet of hair. It doesn't braid," Tatsuki snorted. Her brow twitched as she heard her hair tie snap. "It barely stays in a damn ponytail!"

Tatsuki did not like the way Ryo was laughing at her. Not a bit. She did appreciate when one of her fan club darted forward with a new scrunchie, proclaiming that it was the best on the market and the strongest available. Yeah, sure. Tatsuki would put good money on it snapping during Civics class. She still took it, thanking the boy while Ryo continued to laugh at her misfortune.

Tatsuki could hear the elastic begin to strain at the end of Mr. Yamada's class. With each step she took towards Mrs. Sohma's Civics class, she could hear it shift a little bit more. She wasn't a fan of Civics class these days. Ichigo used to sit behind her and Orihime always sat to her left. But Ryo was her right hand woman! Her Watcher, her roommate, her...her best friend.

Her best friend who was selling pictures of Tatsuki in a kimono to Dragon-Moon in between classes. At least she'd take Tatsuki to lunch with the profits. And it was a decent picture, even if it was of Tatsuki laying abed with a fever from the curse.

Sohma walked into the room after everyone had taken their seats, smiling brightly as she pushed a cart in front of her. Sohma was the kind of teacher Tatsuki liked. Happy, helpful, didn't ask too many nosy questions and didn't seem to worry. She supported rebellion and individuality. In other words, she never raised a fuss when Tatsuki wore heels to school or fell asleep in class. Once she'd suggested Tatsuki head up to the roof to catch up on her sleep. She never seemed to want her students to do much of anything except grow and learn from their experiences. Except for today. Whatever had Sohma smiling so widely made Tatsuki very uncomfortable. The unknown contents of the cart made her nervous too.

Then the baby-doll came out.

"Please no." Her whispered plea mixed in with the cries of the rest of the class, some excited and others fearful, just as Tatsuki was.

"Good news everybody!" Sohma cheered. "The school finally agreed to my project idea!"

She set the infant down on her desk and began to write on the chalkboard.

"Sometimes, unexpected things can happen in your life. Sometimes, we plan something we aren't prepared for. Sometimes, we find joy in something we fear." Sohma turned back t them. "Now, I'm going to pair you all up according to a very complex system of compatibility, so we might end up with two dads, or two moms, or even a single parent."

Sohma held up a slip of paper. A list that would send them all to their doom. Everyone was forced to stand and move to the front. When they were matched up, they were to take a seat and turn their desks to face one another. She was very clear about the 'No Switching' rule. As Sohma listed the 'parents', Tatsuki watched her classmates dwindle down and pair off. She was starting to fear the options left to her once Mizuiro was paired off. Keigo and Ryo had been the first couple announced, so when Kojima was partnered with Kuzonoha, Tatsuki was left with her fanclub.

The door of the classroom opened and Tatsuki knew she'd only felt dread before. The people entering the room now? They brought fear with them. Fear and rage and feelings she swore she wouldn't feel when they came back. She'd moved on from them and they had moved on from her. End of story.

"Kurosaki!" Sohma cheered happily. "And Ishida and Orihime, and my favorite, Yasutora!"

The four of them were pushed to the wall by the excitable Mrs. Sohma. Tatsuki couldn't' help but tense when someone's shoulder brushed against her own. She didn't look to see whose it was, barely heard their apology, distracted as it was. She heard that Orihime was paired with Ishida and Chad had gone to some ko-gal. And then her name came up, followed by Ichigo's. Her fanclub, both partnered and free nearly rioted. Begging, pleading, shouting to take Kurosaki's place and 'spare their ojou's feelings'.

"Shut up!" Tatsuki shouted.

Her hair band snapped in time with her temper. She ignored everyone and moved to an open desk, turning it to face the one Ichigo was destined for. When Ichigo sat across from her, he didn't seem to know what to think. His mouth was hanging open in shock as he watched her, his dark eyes must have been filled with some emotion or other. She didn't know for sure, she didn't want to look at him. IT was bad enough that Tatsuki could smell him again, the combination of his soap and spiritual energy combined with something she'd always known was him. This assignment was unacceptable, his presence was unwanted and hurtful, and the whispers and hisses around them only drew attention to the growing headache behind the slayer's eyes.

Sohma spoke up before Ichigo could, handing out the dolls as she explained their assignment. For one week they were going to work together. They would feed the baby, burp the baby, and comfort it when it cried, they would play with it, and they would even sleep with it.

"Of course, not really." Sohma held up a plastic card. "This is the key to your salvation."

Her explanation was brief, and twice more she was forced to explain that no, they could not, and would not switch partners. Not when she'd put so much effort into making sure she'd partnered everyone up perfectly. She left the rest of the class to them, suggesting they make a care schedule and get to know their partner. This was the part Tatsuki had been dreading. The forced talk.

"I'm taking it," she decided. "I was going to do it by myself anyway, so don't even worry about it."

"We're partners in this," Ichigo argued. "You can't just take it over."

"Yes I can."

"No, Tatsuki, you can't," Ichigo argued. "You have karate after school every day. You can't pay attention to a doll."

"Yes I can. I don't have karate any more. My entire team died because of a freak _gas leak_." She wasn't bitter and that certainly wasn't sarcasm. At least he had the decency to look embarrassed. "I'm taking it."

"What about school?" Ichigo asked. "Tatsuki, you're not-"

"Ichigo, stop." Her arms had crossed themselves at some point. "It's just a doll and with as much as you're in the bathroom and the nurses office, I think it's probably the smarter choice."

"Why are you being so..." Ichigo's pulse was speeding up. She could hear it, she could see the way it twitched beneath his skin. "Fine, what if I take it at night? It'd probably get lost in all of that hair."

"Whatever." Tatsuki looked over to Ryo and Keigo; Ichigo's joke was not funny. Keigo was obviously much more excited about the whole thing than Ryo was. In fact, her friend seemed ready to gnaw her arm off to get away from both of them. Tatsuki got up, moving over to the two of them and ignoring Ichigo's complaints behind her. "Keigo, go sit next to Ichigo, yeah?"

He paused only for a moment before going to distract the orange haired boy. Tatsuki was fairly certain that the only reason Sohma allowed it was because both girls were in possession of their 'children'. Other students seemed to be doing the same thing, moving to sit beside friends and the people they'd hoped to be partnered with. Sohma started moving around the classroom, asking about arranged schedules

"He's still staring at me, isn't he?" Tatsuki asked.

"He's trying to. Keigo is blocking his view pretty effectively." Ryo poked her infant, nearly jumping when it cooed at her. "You'll have to talk to him eventually Tatsuki."

"I know. Considering what his job is, it's only a matter of time before he sees me doing mine." Tatsuki let out a sigh. "I'm not going to chase any of them though. If they want to tell me, fine, if not, I have a life."

"Short though it may be." Ryo nodded.

"Careful Ryo," Tatsuki grinned. "Someone might think you're an optimist."

~!~

Tatsuki had never had to avoid someone before. She'd never had to avoid two people before and if it wasn't for Dragon-Moon, there was a high chance she wouldn't have been able to. She wasn't even trying to avoid them, part of her wanted them to approach her. She didn't know what she'd say if they did, but she at least wanted the satisfaction of being able to walk away from them.

"I kind of expected you to go with Keigo," Tatsuki admitted around a mouthful of rice. "I mean, the guys are back...No need to hang with the girls anymore."

"No," he laughed. "Keigo tried to get me to hang out with them, but, I can't leave. If I did, you and Ryo would just keep walking into curses."

Tatsuki couldn't help the bubbling laugh that worked it's way out, even Ryo was laughing lightly and Mizuiro, he seemed to enjoy coming up with bizarre curses to make them continue laughing.  
The breeze had finally picked up and on top of the roof, nothing seemed to matter. There were no vampires to worry about, no pending prophecies that she knew of, and the demon population was being pretty quiet. There was a lack of hollows around too, but that wasn't her department, it belonged to the ginger haired girl coming towards her.

Orihime wasn't carrying her lunch with her, but she didn't look like she was going to be leaving once she sat down. She was different now. Where ever she'd gone, it had turned her into someone a bit older, a bit more cautious. Tatsuki wondered if Orihime could feel the slayer crawling around under her skin. Especially when the girl started to hug her. Tatsuki was careful not to injure the girl when she extracted herself from Orihime's arms before taking her lunch back from Ryo; her watcher had grabbed it before the awkward hug. Ryo and Mizuiro were both silent however, watching and waiting as they waited for Tatsuki to act.

She didn't have to. Orihime was apologizing for her sudden trip to her grandmother's house. Lying right to her face and completely ignoring the fact that Tatsuki was upset.

"It's not okay," Tatsuki cut the girl off. "I'm not okay with what you did. I won't be okay for a while either."

"Tatsuki-chan..."

"No," Tatsuki held up a hand. "It's going to take a really long time before I can sit down and listen to whatever...story you've come up with this time. Can I please go back to my lunch?"

It hurt to say those words. She wanted Orihime to be her friend again, but time and again the girl had lied to her. Time after time, Tatsuki's life had nearly ended, and still they saw no reason to tell her what happened. As Orihime walked away, looking like a very kicked puppy, Tatsuki found her appetite was leaving her. When the door to the roof closed behind Orihime, a breath of relief and sadness left Tatsuki's lungs and Ryo's hand came to rest on the slayer's arm. Mizuiro put an arm around her shoulders and the comfort the two of them offered broke through a wall the slayer had very carefully built. Not once had she cried in front of other people. She'd never felt comfortable enough to let people see her tears.

~!~

"Tatsuki!"

The teen let out a sigh when Ichigo shouted to her. He'd been trying to get a hold of her all day, and now that they were waiting for Yukimura, he'd found an opening. Orihime hadn't approached her again, but what times Tatsuki had glanced over, she'd been crying. She didn't like seeing the girl upset or hurt, but she didn't seem to be taking Tatsuki's feelings into account at all. The slayer just wanted to know the truth from those who'd lied to her.

One of whom was standing in front of her desk when he normally sat behind her. He was looking exceptionally pissed off and very confused. For the first time that day, she met his eyes. Whatever he saw in her own made his fist tighten and turned his scowl to a grimace.

"I'm right here," she sighed, reaching up to her temples. The headache was killing her and her eyes hadn't' stopped burning since she'd broken down on the roof at lunch. "There's no reason to shout."

"What the hell did you say to Orihime?" He asked. He was quieter this time, but no less upset. "She hasn't stopped crying since lunch."

"Did you ask her?" Tatsuki reached to her pack for a bottle of water and her aspirin; her head spun from the pain as she reached and her fingers tightened on the edge of her desk. Very briefly, Tsubaki's curse echoed through her head. She would feel the pain of everyone she'd hurt. Three aspirin this time, Ichigo watching her as she swallowed. "Well? Did you?"

"She thinks she deserves it," Ichigo admitted. "Tatsuki, I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but this-"

"Sit down Kurosaki!"

Yukimura's shout alarmed the entire class. She'd never shouted before, not once, but the teacher was looking very pissed off and incredibly frustrated. She must have been trying to speak for a while now; As Ichigo moved to his desk behind Tatsuki, the teacher caught the slayer's eyes. There was a strange understanding in them and Tatsuki knew the woman was going to ask her to stay behind after class. That was why Tatsuki went right up to her desk when class ended, why bother waiting for the summons you knew was coming?

Yukimura was quick to wave everyone out, pulling out a large book as she began to talk about an opportunity for extra credit. The door slid shut and the two of them were left alone at the front of the classroom.

"Wow," Yukimura sighed. "He's certainly rude, isn't he?"

"Excuse me?" Tatsuki asked.

"I've been your teacher for over a month now Arisawa. I know that you are a strong, independent, brilliant young woman." Arisawa pulled something from her desk and Tatsuki sat down on the edge of it. "You have great grades, a real talent for marital arts, and I'm glad that you're taking the time to focus on yourself."

"What?" Tatsuki watched as Yukimura began to pack her bag. "I'm confused, again."

"Tatsuki, it doesn't matter how many phases or changes you go through. You're still you." Yukimura stood up. "As long as you're happy with who you become, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks."

Tatsuki watched as Yukimura walked out of the room, faintly pleased to hear her start scolding Ichigo for his behavior in class, along with failing to turn in his long overdue homework. She was doing a pretty good job too, Tatsuki could practically hear the teen shrinking back at Yukimura's anger. A scary thing that. Except, there was one small thing. Yukimura and Ichigo were blocking the only exit and Tatsuki needed to get home. The slayer walked over to the open window and looked down. It was only the second floor...she could handle that.

When the breeze kicked up around where she'd landed, Tatsuki was glad to know she'd actually been able to handle the jump. The grass wavered and a few leaves tickled the backs of her thighs before she stood upright, bag and baby slung over her shoulder and head whirring with thoughts. She couldn't sit at home right now. She just couldn't.

~!~

The back room of Obake was actually a very nice place. The hum of magic lulled her to sleep, her mother's magic, her grandfather's magic, so on and so forth for generations, all of it was embued into the artifacts or the building itself. Tatsuki felt comfortable here. Far from the stress of school and the chaos of her life. The only problem was finding the right spot to sleep and the crying baby-doll she had to take care of. She may have taped the key into it's back and left it in the front of the store under the counter. With the doll out of sight, it was out of mind, as was the man attached to it. The headache that had come about just from dealing with him had faded away, a slight pressure behind her eyes, but nothing else. She wasn't going to risk sleeping with it though. No, she was going to lounge on the back couch, enjoying the sun and the calm quiet.

The front door jingled and Tatsuki felt someone's shadow fall over her form. She smelled dust and books and the faint smell of chemicals. She could feel spiritual energy, so strong she could almost taste it. And candy. She could smell and taste candy.

"You're in my sun," Tatsuki waved a hand weakly. The pressure was getting worse.

"And you managed to beat Ichigo into the dirt without lifting a finger." Urahara had moved out of her sun, but now he was sitting on the couch by her feet. "And Inoue."

"I swear to god, if you're here to guilt trip me I will throw you out of the skylight." Tatsuki cracked an eye open. "I'm not even going to think about forgiving them until I get the truth, from them, directly."

"I certainly don't miss the days when I was so young as you." the blonde looked up to the skylight. "When friendship lasted forever and mountains were all around me. Only now, thousands of years later, am I starting to see the molehills for what they are."

"I really hope you didn't come here to act as my therapist." Tatsuki sighed. She opened both yes fully and sat up to look at the shopkeeper. "What sort of thing needs beheading?"

Urahara pulled something from his sleeve, refusing to comment on her words. It was a stack of newspaper clippings referring to a series of robberies across the nation. Not that they had any real links. Random theft mixed with grave robbing. Tatsuki laid the strips of paper out in front of her and began to read through them. Door handles, antique car theft, only to find the car had been returned the next day. Several ancient graves, all from the 1700's or earlier, had been dug up and left untouched. It was strange, but it wasn't exactly magical.

"The police can't find any trace of the thieves, and they're coming this way." Urahara pulled out yet more clippings. "I can't seem to figure out why anyone would want an antique door handle."

"You want me to keep my eyes open for not-vampires?" Tatsuki asked with a raised brow. "I'll bring it up to the others, but your guess is as good as mine."

A crash came from the front of the shop and the babydoll started to wail. She was going to absolutely destroy that thing. With a sigh, the slayer rose from the couch, wavering slightly as the headache came rushing back to her. Urahara's hand was on her arm, steadying her as she sank back tot he couch. If this was Tsubaki's curse, she was going to kill the woman all over again, if this was something else...well, she was going to kill that too. For now though, she'd settle for the asprin Urahara was giving her.

"Are you alright Lady Slayer?"

"Yeah, I haven't been sleeping enough." Tatsuki stood fully and began to pack her things up. "I'll drop this off with the Tenshi and then drop by the hospital."

"Patrol work?" Urahara asked.

"No." The slayer slung her bag over her shoulder. "Some decent painkillers and a check-up."

~!~

"It's certainly the curse that's effecting you." Dr. Ishida pulled back from Tatsuki. "But there's something else involved as well. Something feeding off of the curse."

"How is this thing even working?" Tatsuki asked from her place on the doctor's desk.

She'd gone into his office without so much as a phone call. Not that he'd been doing much of anything, his secretary wasn't particularly dedicated to keeping her out either. The hospital director actually looked happy to see he was needed for something supernatural. He'd grumbled and protested and he'd insisted that he didn't have time for the case, but he'd pulled out his stethoscope and checked her over the entire time. Dr. Ishida had taken a real interested when Tatsuki told him why she'd been cursed, when it had started, and what was happening with her hair.

"So far as I can tell, the curse is using your own spiritual energy to keep itself going. But, something else is feeding off of you as well." The doctor began to write a prescription for her. "Take this down to the pharmacy, they'll give you something for the headaches. As for the drainage, i'd suggest you find whatever it is very quickly."

"I did feel better when I was layign in the sun earlier," Tatsuki admitted. "All I felt was a kind of pressure behind my eyes."

"Hm, until we figure this out, keep laying in the sun." Ishida handed her the note, eyes falling on the doll for the first time. "What is that?"

"A lesson in maturity and responsibility," Tatsuki hopped from the desk.

"Responsibility is using protection," Dr. Ishida snorted. "Go lay in the sun and shove that thing in a corner."

~!~

The Kurosaki clinic was a bustle of activity and had been since Ichigo had returned home. His sister's hadn't asked him about his adventures, instead they told him of their own trip to Sugisawa with Tsuki-nee-san and Ryo-nee-san. They told him about their stay at the onsen and their time spent at the Arisawa Manor in the mountains. Karin told him how Ryo-nee-san taught her the quick way to figure out her science homework and Yuzu was thrilled to tell him that she'd learned to tie an obi properly. A whole week spent far from Karakura in the small mountain village and the ancestral home of their favorite elder sister. They seemed to be hiding something from him though. The whole time they spoke, they kept some part of the story secret, glossed over it so smoothly and quickly that he might not have noticed it at all.

Except he had.

He'd noticed a lot of things. Like the scarf hanging from the coat rack or the extra pair of slippers by the door. He'd noticed the manga by the couch and he'd smelled the scent of her perfume in the clinic. Every time he'd asked about it, his family gave him the same answers. Tatsuki had come by last Friday to help out. Every Friday she would come by and help out, except for this last one when she'd taken the twins far away from Karakura to keep them safe. She wouldn't come by next Friday either, he knew that. The look of pain in her eyes this afternoon had very little to do with her headache. Sh'd taken th entire project on alone, not because she wanted to do it, but because he'd proven time and again that he'd leave her alone.

He'd watched as she left the classroom with Ryo and Mizuiro. She hadn't even looked to Orihime or Ichigo, hadn't asked where they'd gone or if they wanted to catch up somewhere. She'd taken the project home and the chances of him ever seeing her outside of class were slim to none.

The ringing of the doorbell summoned Ichigo to the present and out of his own thoughts. His father was in the clinic and his sisters were studying upstairs, leaving him to answer the door. Insistent and unyielding, the ringing sound was pushing his temper to the edge. Whoever was on the other-side of the door had better give him a good reason as to why he shouldn't punch them in the face. Maybe if he looked at their shoes first he wouldn't punch them right away.

"Wha..." Ichigo's eyes focused on a pair of booted feet before trailing up a pair of leather clad legs. Whomever was wearing them had been poured into them, and into the shirt she was wearing. His shirt if he wasn't mistaken. The woman's form had pulled lust from his anger, but her face sapped his anger away in moments, replacing it instead with frustration.

"Tatsuki? What...you're here?"

"You said you'd take it at night." Tatsuki pushed the baby-doll towards him. Her face was less drawn than it had been before, but there was a small crinkle just by her right eye. A crinkle that only appeared when she was hurt and trying not to show it. She pushed the doll towards him again.

"I wanted to talk to you about today," Ichigo took the doll and set it on the hall table.

"I have to go," Tatsuki shook her head. Ichigo had to jerk his eyes back to her face when she reached intot he waistband. "Here's the key thing, the tape fell off."

"Just come inside and let me talk to you," Ichigo waved the key away.

"No, because 'you talking' is going to turn into 'you demanding'." Tatsuki put a hand to her head and pressed against her temple. "I do not have the time or patience to sit through an interrogation about the feelings of someone else when I'm..." The slayer let out a breath and walked away.

"Tatsuki...Tatsuki!"

Ichigo watched her walk into the darkness, not in the direction of home, but someplace else. Her hand never left her head, but her could she her shoulders sag as she went. This wasn't going to plan, Tatsuki wasn't even willing to listen to him for more than a few minutes; he doubted she'd answer yes even if he did get the question out. She was too angry to listen to anyone right now. Especially after what had happened at lunch. Ichigo had finally gotten Inoue to tell him the exact words that had passed between herself and Tatsuki. The redhead's explanation had been tear-filled and confused and Ichigo couldn't feel sorry for her. Especially not now when Tatsuki wouldn't even come in to listen. He'd heard th words she hadn't said before. She wanted him to think about her feelings, but he had been, that was why he wanted her to come in.

The baby-doll started to cry behind him, begging the attention he'd rather give the girl who'd walked away from him. When Ichigo picked the doll up, patting his pocket for the key, he realized something both good and bad. Tatsuki hadn't given him the key. He needed to go and track her down and if he did that, he could make her listen. The only downside was walking around town with a crying baby-doll.

~!~

Tatsuki held her arms as she walked through the park. Heron had given her a tip last night in exchange for running his fingers through her hair. The bird spirit didn't understand the purpose of hair on a human, but he'd been awfully eager to feel it; He'd wanted to know if human hair felt like animal fur. A few passes later and he'd spilled all her knew about the local nests. One of the smaller ones tended to hang around the park in between Kaito Liquor Store and Kurosaki clinic. Most deaths were written off as falling on barbecue forks or running into a tree.

"Barbecue forks," Tatsuki snorted. "I'll believe that when the sky turns red."

"I don't think you'll live that long."

Tatsuki turned to the voice, once again cursing the headache that had been poking her all day. Three of them had snuck up behind her and now that she was paying more attention to the tingle, she could feel two of them creeping out of the trees behind her. The one who'd spoken was big. At least so big as Chad with bleached hair and a gap between his teeth, the two fangs standing behind him were barely smaller.

"Thinking? Wow, that must have been a new experience."

The slayer expected it when the leader rushed her, and when the one at her five tried to grab her up. The stake slid from beneath her shirt and right into the rear one's chest, turning the vampire into a pile of dust. She ducked under the leader's arms, dodging between the rest of the rabid fangs as she pulled out another stake. A second vampire went down, one of the burly ones, and the single female of the group began to screech, nails elongating into claws as she lunged for Tatsuki.

The faint cry of a baby distracted her just long enough for the she-fang to toss her into the nearby jungle gym.

"Tatsuki!"

Ichigo began to run towards the fight, furious with whoever had thrown her into the steel bars. A single woman was attacking her while three men prowled around them, one of whom Ichigo had seen laying dead in the clinic before he'd gone to rescue Rukia. He didn't have time to think on it, that same musclehead had spotted him and was coming over with a buddy.

"You got ugly after you died," Ichigo couldn't help but blurt. He tossed the babydoll onto a swing behind him.

"And you got delicious after I died," the man grinned at his, fangs peeking from beneath his gnarled lips.

He lunged for Ichigo, faster than any human or monster he'd faced before, fangs bared and his buddy grinning wide. His punches were strong, at least one rib had cracked where he'd connected, but Ichigo had faced much stronger enemies in his time. They'd been far more skilled as well. As he punched and dodged the fanged deadman, he saw Tatsuki gaining the upper hand against her own foe. He'd been worried when she pulled out the piece of wood, nearly getting hit by the vampire he fought, until he saw her stab the woman in the chest. A single strike to his chest from the deadman sent him flying towards the slides. When he looked up, he saw nothing but a pile of dust where the woman had once stood. Tatsuki stabbed another one in the heart, turning the thing to dust.

"Simple enough," he breathed, pushing himself to his feet. The Deadman was stalking towards Tatsuki, leaving one lanky lacky with his back turned to Ichigo. His mistake.

~!~

"So, the Lady Slayer decided to grace us with her presence." The Bleached Musclehead grinned. "Once we're done with you, we'll drain your little boyfriend."

"I wish I could feel upset over that idea," Tatsuki smirked. "But he's not my boyfriend, and uh, who exactly is this We you're talking about?"

The man looked around, seeing that his posse had been turned to dust. He lunged once more, the demon inside coming out more than she'd ever seen a vampire allow. His skin mottled and his fangs grew larger, ears pointing to the sky as he grabbed for her. The sound of tearing fabric let her know he'd missed, and she took the chance to stake him.

A wave of nausea overtook her as she went in for the kill, pain radiating from her head to her fingertips and back. The sound of a crying infant radiated through her skull and the cold dead flesh of the vampire closed around her wrist.

"I'm disappointed Slayer," he grinned in her face.

"You're also very stupid."

The vampire's eyes widened as a stake was driven through his back and into his heart. Tatsuki fell to the ground before a fine layer of dust and bone covered her body. The fall, combined with the pain and the incessant crying caused her to start heaving. A pair of hands were on her shoulders, helping her to sit up enough that she wouldn't vomit on herself.

"The baby," Tatsuki burped out.

"I somehow doubt-"

"Shut it up," She bent over the playground wall.

"You have the key," Ichigo tried not to snap.

Tatsuki grumbled, reaching into the waist band of her pants and passing the object to him. Seconds after he took it she began to empty her stomach into the bushes. The doll fell silent and Tatsuki was once more overcome by what she felt. Nothing. No pain, no nausea, nothing was bothering her save for the ache in her abdomen and the taste of bile in her mouth. The headache was fading away once more, leaving only the faintest pressure behind. A warm hand settled on her back and Tatsuki let out a shaking breath. It was only a matter of time.

"Are you okay?"

"Headache got to be too much," she stood up slowly.

A cool breeze blew across her form, chilling the skin of her chest. She didn't even bother looking down; the vampire had slashed her shirt in half. She could feel the cotton tickling her sides where it hung. A bundle of red cloth was handed to her. Ichigo had taken his shirt off and now stood, staring at the tree line with a plastic doll in his hand. The slayer was getting stronger in her veins, the hunger for food and flesh pushing everything back. A topless male was offering himself to her.

She took a shaking breath, focusing on the taste of vomit as she took her own shirt off. The acrid taste and the way it clung to her teeth stuck with her as she put his shirt on. The slayer could smell him stronger now, but she was still pissed at him. That killed desire quicker than anything. He'd busted into her life, her fight, and now he was playing the sweet guy?

"So, those things," Ichigo began. "What are they?"

"Do you see this?" Tatsuki asked. Ichigo turned to look and Tatsuki's fist shot out, sending the teen to the ground in an unconscious heap. "It's the only way I can get you to shut up."

~!~

* * *

~!~

"And you woke up to find yourself on your couch without a shirt on?"

Ichigo nodded at Ishida's question, staring out across the town from the school roof. Topless with the babydoll on the hall table and the key duct taped into the back. He hadn't found his shirt anywhere this morning and his sister's were refusing to speak on whatever had happened. His father wasn't saying much of anything either, he hadn't even attacked Ichigo this morning, simply poked him in the black eye he'd gotten from the girl he'd tried to save. Said girl hadn't spoken to him since this morning when he'd handed their assignment off. She'd been a little woozy at first, but then she disappeared, faster than any normal human aught to have been.

"Something happened in between us leaving and when we came back," Ichigo sighed. "Something big that no one wants to talk about."

"I saw her at the hospital yesterday," Ishida spoke up. "I went to go see my father about something and she was sitting on his desk while he gave her a check-up."

Ichigo's first thought was not one he enjoyed. Vomiting plus sexy new clothes plus older man giving her special attention? No, he didn't want to entertain that thought. He didn't doubt that Ishida's dad would do the right thing, the right thing being whatever Tatsuki wanted, but he didn't like the idea of Tatsuki belonging to another man. His hollow had always howled with rage whenever she sat too close to someone else. It purred in delight when she sat in front of him. He was sure that if Ogihci was still around, he'd been be fighting a number of urges involving her hair.

"Do you think he'd tell you anything if you asked?" Orihime asked softly. She'd been exceptionally quiet today, she'd barely eaten the lunch in front of her.

"He told me to mind my own business," Ishida snorted. "Whatever Arisawa got mixed up in, we'll have to approach her about it directly."

"I think I know where she is," Ichigo pushed himself off of the railing. He could see her on the roof of the gym, her hair blowing in the breeze as she sat beside Ryo.

~!~

"Okay, I admit, I should have turned around and given him the key as soon as I realized I still had it. I just wanted him to squirm a bit." Tatsuki took another bite of her lunch, trying not to spit it back up. "I was going to give it to him this morning."

"You mean when he gave the doll back to you?" Ryo was looking at the codex, sifting through curses and cures for curses and waiting for the Caster department to get back to her with some sort of cure. She was waiting for Tatsuki's mother to get back to her and Urahara and even Dr. Ishida, but none seemed to know what to do about a curse that made your hair grow and bleed.

"Maybe I wanted him to suffer more than a bit," Tatsuki admitted. "It's petty I know, but I can't really do much else."

"You could just tell him whats on your mind," Ryo began to dig through her bag. "But that would be easy."

"That would involve a lot of duct tape and me crying by the end." Tatsuki let out a sigh and allowed the sun to wash over her. The doll was sitting next to the fence at the other end of the roof and there wasn't a single person to interrupt them. Even her fanclub was leaving her alone. They were guarding her 'tower' according to the one she'd caught standing by the door of the roof. They would be the dragon guarding the moon princess. "It sucks you know. Because I want him to come to my rescue, I want him to Want to come and save me because he wants me. But he never will because I'm not That Girl."

"You're wrong," Ryo moved to her knees and started playing with Tatsuki's hair. "A slayer can be one of those girls."

"Maybe," Tatsuki shifted to let Ryo play with her hair. "But how come he only wants answers now? How come he's only cornering me now? After I've cried and screamed and given up?" Tatsuki reached up to wipe a tear away. "Even if he did care, he only cares when he has nothing else to do."

Something shuffled by the door, very soft and very faint.

"Well, if that's true, he doesn't deserve you," Ryo slid something into Tatsuki's hair. "No one deserves half of someone's attention." A mirror popped up in front of Tatsuki. "What do you think?"

"I think you stole the bathroom mirror from the museum," Tatsuki turned to face her friend.

"I meant your hair," Ryo rolled her eyes. "Besides, it's not like the thing was on display or part of an exhibit. It was pretty, I wanted it, I took it."

Tatsuki took the mirror from Ryo, letting out a small breath as she saw what Ryo had done. Tsubaki's hair pin had been cleaned and it now held Tatsuki's hair in a clean bun. A few strands got in the way where her bangs once were, but it stayed in place and there was less of a pulling sensation now.

"Thank your Ryo." Tatsuki turned to hug the runner. "For everything."

"What are friends for?" Ryo hugged her back.

The rest of the day passed very strangely for Tatsuki. Ichigo, who'd been so close to her all day, always trying to get a hold of her or corner her somewhere, had left her alone. She'd even go so far as to say he as avoiding her. In civics class, he barely spoke to her, he simply listened as she told him the times the baby had cried, why it was crying and what she'd done. All of it was made up of course, just like his own numbers were, but he hadn't even bothered to question her. He hadn't chastised her for stuffing the doll in her locker for most of the day and her certainly hadn't said anything about what she'd been wearing last night. He hadn't brought last night up at all and he hadn't raised a fuss when Tatsuki decided to sit next to Ryo once more.

And that was fine. Really. There were more important things going on, like the sudden absence of over half of her classmates. The half of the classmates who'd taken the dolls home if she wasn't mistaken. That didn't answer where Keigo and Mizuiro were, but when the slayer turned to ask Ryo a question, she got enough of an answer. Her friend was scowling at her phone and trying not to shout. She set the phone down and picked it back up and the process repeated itself.

"So, should I punch someone in the head?" Tatsuki asked.

"No," Ryo scowled. "I think I'd like to do that myself. They're sitting at home playing Mega Blaster."

"That explains where your assignment is," Tatsuki hummed. "It's not just the skipping school though, is it?"

Kuzonoha fell over as Ryo tried to explain what was bothering her. The watcher almost pushed Tatsuki out of her chair, whispering for her to check for magic. Sohma ran for the nurse as Tatsuki knelt beside the girl to check. Ichigo was beside her next, checking the girl's pulse and helping Tatsuki move the girl out of her desk and onto the floor proper. There was certainly something clinging to Kuzunoha, something twisted around her own energy so subtly that Tatsuki might not have noticed it at all if she hadn't been touching the girl's skin. The longer she was in contact, the more defined the energy was, defined enough that Tatsuki could figure out just what had been stealing her own spiritual energy.

The nurse came in, followed by the gym teacher and Sohma, gathering around Kuzonoha before they carried her to the nurse's office. Tatsuki went back to stand by Ryo, sharing exactly what she'd discovered. Combined with what Dr. Ishida had told her at the hospital yesterday, Tatsuki had every reason to believe these dolls were more than a nuisance, they were evil.

"Text the boys," Tatsuki whispered as the class started to chatter around them. "Tell them to bring Midoriko and your..." Tatsuki fell silent as Ichigo walked past them and back towards his friends. "We need a diversion too."

Ryo pursed her lips, setting aside the frustration she felt in favor of taking care of business. The text went out, and Tatsuki found herself looking at her friend once more. They had a good fifteen minutes and Ryo was in need of an ear.

"So, tell me why I shouldn't punch Keigo as soon as he gets here." Tatsuki sat on top of Ryo's desk.

"It's nothing big," Ryo shook her head. "I've dated enough boys to know what this is but, with Keigo, it's different. I want things to work out with him."

"Have you talked to him about it?" Tatsuki asked.

"He never wants to talk. Whenever I bring anything serious up, he changes the subject or remembers something or runs off." Ryo leaned her head against Tatsuki's hip. "I really wonder what goes through his brain sometimes."

"I kind of doubt anything does," Tatsuki put a hand on Ryo's head.

The fire alarm started ringing around them a few minutes later, causing the students to pause in their conversation before filing out of the room slowly. The boys had given them a very good distraction by pulling the alarm. The volume of the other students increased and attention was thrown every place except for on Tatsuki and Ryo. The boys were waiting by the back door with their equipment and a single doll between them.

"Stop touching that thing," Tatsuki demanded of them. The boys dropped the doll, ignoring the cries when Tatsuki waved them back into the building. "Whatever is inside of it is bad news. Alright, if I were a soul sucking monster living at a school, where would I hide?"

"Teacher's lounge," Keigo nodded.

"The Gym," Mizuiro volunteered.

"I don't think that's how it happened," Ryo shook her head. She was staring at the door to the basement, fingers tracing along the wood. "What if the demon came with the dolls and it grew during storage?"

Tatsuki adjusted her grip on her sword, pushing the door open as those behind her got ready to fight the big bad in the basement. Down the stairs she went, Slayer senses combining with the insistent pressure behind her eyes. It was getting worse the closer they got, and when the four teens finally reached the basement floor, they were only half surprised to see a giant pit in the middle of the floor. Sohma, the Nurse, and the Gym teacher were standing all around the pit, holding Kuzunoha still as a small creature fed off of her. It looked a little like a starfish with hundreds of little eyeballs all over it and more tentacles than any jellyfish aught to have. Tatsuki jumped the final few steps and landed on the other side of the side of the pit. The teachers looked up when she landed, eyes glazed over and jaws slack.

"Damn, I can't even make any good jokes," Tatsuki put her sword over her shoulder.

The gym teacher released Kuzunoha's shoulders and began to lumber towards Tatsuki. Mizuiro was quick to step between them however, even if he was slightly frightened of the coach. The butt of his weapon met the teacher's jaw and the boy was suddenly less afraid. Instead, he'd grown fierce, hitting the gym teacher perhaps a bit more than was needed. Ryo had knocked out Sohma, a quick punch before she tied the woman up while Keigo was crying as he tried to hold the school nurse off.

Tatsuki hurried to Kuzunoha's side, tearing off the squirmy demon before checking the girl over. She was still breathing, and while her spirit was weak, the demonic energy was waning away.

"Tatsuki!"

Tatsuki looked up to see a large tentacle swinging up from the depths of the pit. Make that three. The slayer ducked out of the way, pulling Kuzunoha with her.

"Get her out of here!" Tatsuki pushed the girl onto Mizuiro; they were supposed to be partners anyway. The boy nodded and began carrying her out while Keigo moved Sohma from the room. The nurse and coach had been pushed into a corner, guarded by Ryo and her crossbow.

"I really hate calamari," Tatsuki slashed at an incoming appendage. The beast in the hole roared in pain and two more came out for her. "Multiplication isn't my favorite either."

A scuffle sounded behind her, along with the shouts of Ryo and the thunk of bolts into wood. The slayer barely had time to glance over, satisfied when she saw Ryo whack a lunchlady over the head with her crossbow. Tatsuki ducked low and jumped high as two of the monster's tentacles swung at her from opposing directions. Her sword sliced through the offensive things, summoning yet another howl of pain. Several of the tiny monsters began crawling up from within the pit, two throwing themselves at her and Ryo both. As the creature's skin made contact with Tatsuki, the headache returned full force and a sinister voice began to echo through her mind. A bulbous growth rose from the pit, swaying slightly as it's singular eye focused on Tatsuki.

"So strong," it rumbled to her. The unharmed tentacles were worming their way towards her. "So fast." Tatsuki found herself hanging upside down with her ankles bound. Her sword had slipped from her grasp with the sudden movement and increased drain on her spirit. "So pure."

"So...not my type," Tatsuki grit out. "Why don't you...let me down, so I can give you some corrective surgery."

"So smart." The bulbous thing was leaning closer to her and jagged barbs were beginning to poke through it's skin. "I am in need of a new host."

The grip on her ankles tightened and Tatsuki felt herself losing focus as the pain behind her eyes increased. Every movement hurt, and fighting to keep her knees together as the leathery appendages crept along her legs and was nearly enough to push her into oblivion.

Something hot passed above her. Above and through the tentacles holding her hostage, the black crescent dispersed into the air and fell into her skin. The rush of relief from the black granules was almost as intense as the pain itself had been. Better still, the little specks of energy were burning the creature who'd tried to get poke happy. The creature had pulled as far back into the pit as it could, but Tatsuki had her sword again, and she was ready to slice and dice. The slayer slid across the floor and down into the pit. There, burned from the blackened energy, was the bulbous head. The various little creatures were shriveled and dead around it.

It was easier to dodge the creatures attacks, and Midoriko was only too happy to stab through the creature's skin. Over and again she stabbed the beast, cutting deeper each time until she went until Tatsuki could see the creature's heart pulsing beneath the layers of tissue. Tougher than the rest of the creature had been, the Slayer enjoyed slicing it into little pieces. As the blood of the beast filled the pit, Tatsuki pulled herself from the mess and back up to the floor. Ryo had fallen unconscious, but she was unharmed, as were the two she'd been guarding. Good. That was good. The demonic energy was fading away too.

"I want a shower."

~!~

* * *

~!~

"What was that spell you cast?" Tatsuki asked as she and Ryo sat in the small garden.

Both girls had showered after escaping the school and according to Dr. Ishida, the students who'd fallen ill had returned to full health. The teachers had returned to normal, confused, but back to normal. Whatever had been living inside of the babydolls had died when their mother had, meaning Tatsuki could continue leaving it in her locker until the assignment ended as opposed to cutting it open and making with the stabby. All that was left now was letting the school discover the chopped up remains of a demon in the basement.

"What spell?" Ryo asked over her teacup.

"The black thing that cut me loose from the demon," Tatsuki sighed. "You know? The spell?"

"I passed out before the demon grabbed you up," Ryo shook her head.

Keigo came out onto the porch before Tatsuki could think about the implications. The flamboyant boy was kneeling in front of Ryo, face down in the dirt as he promised to never skip school without telling her again. She ducked out once Ryo pulled the boy up and kissed him. Their fights were some of the strangest she'd ever heard of.

Except, leaving them alone meant facing her thoughts. It meant the spell that had cut her loose had come from someone else. Someone who had followed her down to the basement and hadn't gotten involved until she'd been completely doomed and in dire need of rescue.

~!~

Ichigo grumbled as he held the tissue up against his nose. It had been bleeding for most of his waking hours thanks to a certain leather pants wearing girl. The teen was forced to switch tissues as her leather pants popped into his head. It was bad enough she'd sat across from him his first day back, looking soft and perfect with her hair all loose and long. It had pissed him off when she'd knocked him out after he'd saved her ass last night; he'd nearly passed out from blood loss right then and there. And this morning, when she'd shown up in thigh-high socks and heels, he could have sworn his inner hollow was back and more than ready to take over his body. Assuming of course Ichigo hadn't wanted the same thing his hollow would have wanted.

But then lunch came. He'd gone over to tell her everything and instead he'd listened to her. He'd listened to everything. He didn't know what a Slayer was, but ti wasn't the first time he'd heard someone call Tatsuki that. Given what he'd seen, it was someone who fought monsters and demons and wore...

"Stop thinking about leather pants," Ichigo grumbled as he pulled another tissue from the box. The jump from tissues to tears dsobered him up quickly enough. He'd seen Tatsuki cry only once before and he'd sworn to never let her cry again. Except he had, in fact, he'd been the one to make her cry. Again.

He'd noticed right away when she disappeared from the rest of the class. Kon had taken on his body and Ichigo had followed the two girls back into the building, staying out of sight as he listened in on them. He'd waited for Keigo and Mizuiro to be pulled from the building by the fire department and then he'd dashed down into the basement. What he'd seen had ignited multiple fires inside of him. He was a seventeen year old boy, watching as a monster held a school girl captive, bound and moaning softly as the monster crept closer. The school girl he'd loved since he was five years old was about to be destroyed. Rage, desire, fear, all of these and more had pushed him to step into the fight, but nothing had pushed him more than Tatsuki's own words.

He'd sent an attack at the tentacles, ready to catch her fall and finish the job. She hadn't needed him though. Half of his attack had been absorbed by her own spirit and the girl in the heels had landed on the ground, energized and filled with the need to take down her prey. He'd pulled back and watched, just out of sight as he watched her slice the demon open and kill it. He'd watched her climb out of the pit, covered from head to toe in slime and talking about a shower.

Ichigo shifted on his bed and grit his teeth. She'd come by a few hours ago, just before dusk. She wasn't wearing leather pants, he really needed to stop thinking about those, and she didn't look ready to go and slay vampires. She was wearing his shirt from last night and a pair of jeans, slim and tight and leading down long legs to the red heels she wore. Th mass of hair had been put up into a bun and for the first time since seeing it, he wanted it to flow loose around her, maybe fanned out behind her. He couldn't speak, he could only nod dumbly as she pushed the doll at him and walked back home. Ever since she'd walked off into the night, Ichigo had been nursing bloody noses and seeking old showers.

She wanted a hero. Someone who would rescue her when she needed it and let her fight her own battles when she wanted to. He would be her hero. He'd been the hero for enough people recently, he'd saved enough worlds and souls for a lifetime. Now he had to be there for That Girl.

His Only Girl.


	10. Shock

Shock

~!~

Monday

~!~

Something was following her. She didn't know what it was, but for the last week it had done nothing but creep her out. It didn't do anything, it just lingered and stalked. For the first two days, she'd wondered if it wasn't just a member of the fan-club getting too close. But no new photos had popped up amongst them and her former honor guard had taken control of the Dragon Moon Club. Nothing happened without their say-so.

Something was still following her.

If Tatsuki hadn't been guarded before, she was twice as paranoid and watchful now. She'd started to predict when her slayer senses were going to go off, acting before they could ache too much. She acted quicker, ran faster to try and escape her follower, but it never left her.

"You look terrible," Ryo commented as they walked to school the next day. "I wanted to say something before we left, but I thought you might have improved by now."

"I think something is following me," Tatsuki admitted. "It's freaking me out."

"Following you?"

"When I go out on patrol I can feel...Something."

The two of them walked through the gates of the school and into the first class of the day. Computers with Yamada. They were supposed to be learning the create presentations today, but Yamada didn't seem to be very focused on his incoming class. In fact, he was staring at his own computer with a good deal of frustration. Close to ten minutes passed before he began his lesson, still frustrated with his computer.

"Now, I want you all to open the Bridge program," he instructed them. "I'll be walking around to make sure you're doing alright, there seems to be a minor glitch with my computer today."

He continued instructing them, going step by step and coming to see the students having trouble. Everything was going alright until the computer behind Tatsuki popped and shut down. Yamada was over to the boy quicker than most knew he could move, ushering the other students away as the computer continued to pop and crack. Class was dismissed when the computer actually started to smoke.

Tatsuki and Ryo were sitting in the folk lore section of the library as they waited for their next class to start, finishing their homework before History began. Tatsuki actually enjoyed doing her History homework; it was one of the classes she didn't allow Ryo to help her with. The lights above them kept flickering though, causing the girls to move after just a few minutes of working.

It was lunch time before anything else happened. The cafeteria was serving sandwiches and cold foods because something strange had happened with the power. Whatever it was, the school had decided to close the cafeteria down for the next week. Not that it effected the tenshi, they always ate on the roof of the gym. It did however make it harder to get to the roof when all of their schoolmates were sprawled across the lawn. Twice Tatsuki had to catch Keigo when he tripped over someone's backpack. Mizuiro usually managed to catch himself and Ryo, even with her nose buried in her Watcher's Diary, was able to dodge every obstacle in her path.

"Do you ever feel your stalker during the daytime?" Ryo asked. She was recording the days events from the look of things.

"Tatsuki has a stalker?" Keigo asked. He and Mizuiro had paused in their strange game and were both staring at the girls with curiosity.

"No, it's never around when the sun is out," Tatsuki shook her head. "And yes, I have one, and it's creeping me out."

~!~

Tuesday

~!~

"I swear, this is getting downright weird."

Tatsuki and Ryo were waiting for the crossing light to change, Mizuiro was slightly behind them, talking with Ichigo and Keigo about something or other. She'd accepted the fact that he was going to join the boys on the walk to school. She'd come to terms with the fact that Orihime would join Ichigo and the boys, but that didn't mean Tatsuki had to walk with them or talk to them.

"Don't tell me it was watching you last night too," Ryo shook her head. "You stayed in last night."

"I'm thinking about calling in some backup," Tatsuki sighed.

The six of them continued to wait for the light to change. Minutes passed with cars and people waiting patiently. It wasn't until Tatsuki checked her phone for the time that she started to get impatient. Drivers were getting annoyed as well. Minutes continued to pass, and still the lights stayed red. Tatsuki was about to cross the street when a police car drove up, a single officer hopping out with a stop sign and a whistle around his neck. The lights went out completely as the officer began to conduct traffic. Nearly every crosswalk they came to was being conducted by an officer, while a single street over on either side, the lights worked perfectly.

"Once we finish school I'll see if I can get anyone to swing by."

"That would be great," Tatsuki followed her friend onto school grounds, shocked to see that school had been canceled do to a fluctuation in the power grid.

It didn't seem to stop students from milling about on the lawn though. If Tatsuki looked, she could see some of the teachers as well, accepting assignments from their students and assigning new ones for those who were ambitious enough to do them. The slayer saw no reason not to follow suit, so when Keigo started to turn back for home, Ryo and Mizuiro followed Tatsuki around to see their teachers. Yamada wanted everyone to email what they'd done. The history teacher was giving everyone an extension and refusing to accept papers, while Ochi was nearly militant about collecting homework. Yukimura was almost as bad about assigning homework and Tono, the lit teacher, decided that everyone should just just go find a book and write a report on it.

The three of them now had a good seven hours free for their own use. Ryo suggested returning home until Tatsuki reminded her of the stalker. She was tired and she didn't trust the security of her bedroom right now. Aside from Dr. Ishida's office, there weren't many other places for them to hang out and relax. Mizuiro finally suggested Obake; He'd never actually been to the family shop and he was curious as to what might be resting inside of it.

It turned out to be a great choice. The back room of Obake was all but unknown to anyone who didn't work there and the business was in need of some attention. Attention Mizuiro seemed all too happy to give it with the absence of a regular clerk. For the first hour or so Tatsuki helped the two of them out, but the couch in the back of the shop need some attention as well, and for the first time in over a week, Tatsuki fell asleep without someone watching her. She woke up without having to worry about school or the sudden presence of her stalker and when she went out to join her friends, they'd ordered take-out and sat around Keigo as he studied one of the spell books.

Tatsuki joined them just as the flamboyant boy managed to make a pencil float. A box of chow fun was pushed into her hands as she cheered for Keigo and when the pencil cught fire, she laughed with them.

"Good job," Tatsuki patted Keigo on the back. "Keep practicing and you might not need the ax."

"But, I like my ax," Keigo pouted. He looked at the book in his hands and over to the wall behind the register. Someone had brought their gear tot he shop while she was sleep."My ax..."

"I'm sure you can use both," Ryo leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. As she did, a streetlight outside of the shop burst, sending a shower of sparks across the pavement.

"You're electrifying," Keigo grinned goofily at her.

Tatsuki stood from her place, still holding the Chinese food as she went outside to investigate. Up and down the street, lights were flickering before going out or exploding. She wasn't the only one inspecting things either. The neighboring shop owners seemed just as curious, and one elderly woman was hurrying towards Tatsuki herself. Tatsuki went out to meet the old woman, helping her into Obake as the woman begged for some sort of talisman to keep her shop safe from the angry spirit. For the briefest moment, Tatsuki thought about arguing, until she remembered who she was and how many angry demons there actually were around Karakura.

When the old woman went on her way, a few charms and stones heavier, along with waving a few sprigs of odd smelling herbs, the Tenshi buckled down and went into research mode.

"I'll check and see which parts of the city are having problems with electricity," Mizuiro settled down behind the computer at the register. "From what we've seen, the problems are happening one street at a time."

"I will look up energy manipulation spells," Keigo grinned, flipping to the front of his book.

"I can see if there are any demons sealed away nearby."

Tatsuki stood up, grabbing Midoriko from behind the register. She was going to stake some vampires and, assuming he wasn't human, chop her stalker into tiny pieces.

~!~

Wednesday

~!~

They were walking to school once more,Keigo was chatting happily at Chad and Ichigo, and Orihime seemed fairly content to simply walk beside her crush. Although this time, Ryo and Tatsuki were lagging slightly behind. Mizuiro was only a few steps ahead of them, listening to both groups of people.

"I can't do this anymore." Tatsuki tried very hard not to whine as she spoke. The result was something that could almost be considered crying. "I can't sleep, I can barely focus, and I'm genuinely scared!"

The group ahead of them was far enough away that they hadn't heard Tatsuki's exclamation, though Mizuiro did. He'd finally fallen back enough to stand at Tatsuki's left, phone still out as he sent text after text to his girlfriend. He stopped long enough to ask Tatsuki if the Tokyo slayers had gotten back to her about swinging by.

"They did," Tatsuki nodded. "Mio hates me, she told me to call the cops about it."

"She knows you can't call the cops," Ryo scowled. "Even if we ended up with Zenigata, he'd have us in lock-down and the town would be overrun with fangs."

"Why would she hate you so much?" Mizuiro asked. They were coming up to the others now. The crosswalk from yesterday was still in disrepair and the officer directing traffic seemed to be having a discussion with the driver of a little red Honda.

"She's upset that I'm part of the lineage and she's not." Tatsuki adjusted the grip on her bag. "She has this thing for Buffy and apparently I'm supposed to have this deep link with her because I'm stronger than the Potes.."

"The what?" Mizuiro asked.

"Potentials," Ryo clarified. "Tatsuki and Faith and Buffy are part of the lineage, Potentials like Mio aren't."

"So, wait," he held a hand up. "Mio hates you because she thinks..." He let out a breath and tried to think about what to say.

"Exactly!" Tatsuki cried. "She's bizarre, I mean, I've talked to Buffy t_wice_ in my life, Twice! But apparently that constitutes as some weirdo relationship in her world."

"Well you know they had a thing, right?" Ryo asked. The traffic cop finally waved them across the street. "Mio and Buffy got physical with each other last December after the Tokyo incident."

"Oh! You mean when the huge woman rampaged across downtown Tokyo?" Orihime asked. She'd started listening in at the crosswalk and the overly perky smile on her face was slightly disconcerting to the slayer. "I saw her on the internet when I got home from my aunt's, she was so tall! I wonder if she has to use as much shampoo as you do?

"Doubtful," Tatsuki shook her head slowly. Orihime had been trying to talk to her every morning, avoiding the truth in favor of trying to gloss things over. To pretend nothing was wrong.

"Have you tried talking to Faith about it?" Ryo asked, ignoring the momentary awkwardness. The school was coming into sight and Everyone was ready to escape one another.

"She thinks I just need to go kick Mio's ass," Tatsuki sighed. "Honestly, I'd just as soon not deal with her."

"What, is she a hair puller?" Ryo asked.

When Tatsuki didn't answer right away, Ryo began to giggle, and laugh, until they were all in the school and Ryo had nearly fallen to the ground for laughing. It was infectious, causing Tatsuki to laugh just as hard as they tried to go to class. There was a moment halfway up the stairs where both girls were forced to sit down and catch their breath. Yamada passed them as they caught their breath, raising a brow at them before informing them that class was taking place in the library today. The two of them had to fight their giggles as they followed him back down the stairs and into class.

Yamada was smiling with them as he walked to the front of the class. The electrical problems yesterday weren't letting them off of the hook; they were still going to give their presentations.

"I think I finally have something," Orihime smiled. She was waiting for the Literature teacher with Ichigo and Uryuu. The man had gone to the library for something and fifteen minutes later, he wasn't back.

"What?" Ichigo turned to look at her from where he'd been looking out the window. He was so handsome when he did that, the distracted look, the sudden draw from his own thoughts as he focused entirely on her.

"I figured something out," Orihime blushed slightly. She exhaled and focused on the task at hand. "Tatsuki-chan and I finally have something we can relate over, and if she really is fighting monsters, well, she could probably use a guide!"

"I'm not sure that's the best idea," Ichigo shook his head.

"I was under the impression Kunieda was helping Tatsuki in her nightly activities," Uryuu adjusted his glasses. "They do live together."

Orihime didn't know that. She knew that they walked to school together, and she did think it was unusual that Mizuiro and Keigo had been walking with them, but living together? In that scary house? No. No, Orihime finally found something she and Tatsuki could really relate over. She just had to get Tatsuki to listen to her as she explained the new world she'd joined. Maybe, if Orihime admitted to the trtuh, Tatsuki would too, and they could go back to Orihime's for a sleepover and brush each other's hair. Tatsuki certainly had a lot of it.

They were in Ochi's class, taking notes on mathematical formulas and the light kept flickering. With every flicker, Tatsuki would get annoyed. It wasn't the only light either, and when Ochi tried to turn the lights off, they continued to flash and stutter.

"So, when we subtract the value of M..." Ochi glared up at the light above her. "We end up with the following answer." This time the light fizzled out. "Son of...ah!"

The light above her began to crack and spark, arcs of electricity jumping from light to light and raining glass down on the students. Everyone ran from the room, screaming as the white hot energy surrounded them all. Even the tenshi were evacuating. There was no stopping and analyzing, there was no trying to solve the issue, there was running into he hall and the evacuation of the building. All of the lights were popping and arcing, sending students out from every class. Some few ran into Tatsuki, sending her down to the floor.

Someone grabbed her biceps as she fell, pulling her back up and against the wall as a stream of hysteric students rushed past them.

"Keigo?" Tatsuki asked. "I figured you'd have taken off by now."

"No," he shook his head. "I found a tracking spell this morning. We need to find a mirror, it'll bounce the energy back and give you and Ryo a trail to follow."

"Just us?"

Keigo nodded. "Kojima and I are going to cast, it's probably going to take a lot out of us though."

"I'll find Ryo and meet you two on top of the gym," Tatsuki nodded.

The two of them continued out of the building, Keigo veering right with his quiet friend while Tatsuki left in search of her sarcastic one. Nearly the entire building was out on the front lawn, along with firefighters, policemen, paramedics, and reporters. Finding Ryo would have been impossible if not for the fact she was standing by Ichigo. That in itself presented some problems, and the closer Tatsuki got to the group, the more she could hear a problem already happening. Chad was very close to stepping in between Ryo and Orihime and for some unknown reason, she almost wanted to see if something would happen.

A loud boom sounded behind them as the school furnace exploded. Windows cracked and shattered, forcing the students back still farther.

The slayer darted in between the group of ghost hunters, grabbing Ryo by the arm and dragging her from the circle. They ducked and wove through the crowd of people, away from anyone who might notice as both Tatsuki and Ryo instructed the idling members of Dragon Moon to 'stall them'. Whoever 'They' happened to be. It was only when Tatsuki began to lead Ryo to the Gym that her watcher asked what was going on.

"The boys are going to cast something," Tatsuki answered. She turned and grinned at Ryo. "Your mirror is finally going to see some use outside of checking your makeup."

"Says the girl who checks her hair every daya t lunch." Ryo's giggle was lost as another boom sounded from the school building. "Let's laugh later."

She was beginning to feel her stalker as they ran, only barely, just at the edge of her senses. She'd hunt him down later, ask Faith about it later, she'd break down from the stress of it later. When the two girls burst onto the roof of the gym, they could see the boys had already lain out most of the items needed for the spell. Ryo's mirror was placed in the center of the circle and Keigo began to chant.

At first, very little happened. Between the intense flames of the school fire and the thick smoke in the air, very little was noticeable. Until the smoke began to swirl and wind began to blow. A light formed between Mizuiro and Keigo's hands, funneling down towards the ancient glass of the mirror. Something powerful was happening to it, the kanji engraved around the edges began to glow and a swirling pattern was showing up in the glass itself. The brass of the mirror's frame began to crack and peel, and for a moment, the girls were worried the spell might break the item. But as the chanting ended, and the glow began to subside, they saw it had changed the mirror entirely. Cold, black obsidian had replaced the glassy surface while silvery, smooth stone had been underneath the brass plating.

"The source," Keigo breathed out. "Let the energy hit the surface, it should lead you..."

"You did great baby." Ryo knelt beside him and gave him a quick kiss. "Take a nap okay? I'll make you some mochi tonight."

"You too," Tatsuki nodded at Mizuiro. "If you see anyone, let me know okay?"

Mizuiro nodded at her, propping himself up beside the door. As Ryo began to reach for the mirror on the ground, Tatsuki froze. She could feel them. The person who kept following her around was coming up the stairs, quickly. The slayer backed away and cursed.

"It's them, the person following me everywhere," Tatsuki breathed.

"Go!" Keigo shouted. "Take the tree down, we'll handle this joker."

"You're still exhausted," Ryo argued.

"And this thunder demon is destroying half the town," Keigo argued back. "Go."

The girls nodded and after a bit of pushing and Tatsuki finally picking Ryo up by the back of her jacket, they climbed down a tree and dashed off of the school grounds. That left Keigo and Mizuiro leaning against the wall by the door. Kojima had pushed himself into a standing position and pulled something from his pocket. His expression had grown angry and the stick he'd pulled from his pocket, well, with a quick motion he'd turned it into a nightstick.

When the door swung open, Kigo was shocked by who he saw. Mizuiro was not. The stick in his hand cam into contact with Ichigo's neck and the orange haired teen was pinned against the doorframe.

"Freeze him!" Mizuiro shouted at Keigo.

The tired mage found himself filled with a new sort of energy. Anger fueled the binding spell he cast and in just a few seconds, both boys were leaning against Ichigo's prone form. Anger could only drive a person so far when they were tired.

"What the hell?" Ichigo shouted.

"Shut up," Keigo waved at him. "We need tot alk."

"Mostly about how you've been terrifying Tatsuki," Mizuiro scowled. He tapped Ichigo's shoulder with the nightstick. "What the hell were you thinking? Stalking her through the streets?"

"Watching hr in her bedroom?" Keigo poked him.

"I was," Ichigo grunted as he strained against the spell Keigo had cast upon him. "I was trying to make sure she was safe!"

"You're scaring her!" Mizuiro jabbed him in the shoulder. "She can barely sleep and I swear I saw her crying when she came home from patrol last night."

Keigo was usually at home when Tatsuki returned from patrol and what few times he stayed the night, he was up in Ryo's room. Hearing this though, hearing what Kojima had heard and what Tatsuki was going through, he was just as pissed off as his friend was right now.

"You're not allowed to talk to her anymore," Keigo leaned on Ichigo a little bit more. "Not until you can prove to us that you deserve to."

Ichigo's mouth was filled with Mizuiro's nightstick when he tried to argue.

"You're making promises that we don't know you can keep," Mizuiro continued. "You're promising to be there, but you're always jetting off somewhere." He pushed himself to sit on Ichigo's back. "How do we know that you'll pay attention when she's talking when you can barely see how she's feeling? Have you seen the way she shakes when you're tailing her? Or the circles under her eyes when we walk to school?"

"For as much as you've been watching her, you sure aren't paying attention," Keigo sighed. "So, when you can show us that you're actually dependable, we'll let you talk to her."

"And if you don't stop stalking her, we're going to kick your ass," Mizuiro patted Ichigo on top of his head. "And then we'll tell Tatsuki."

~!~

"We should have asked how to use this thing," Tatsuki shook the stone mirror. Ryo snatched it from hr grasp, scowling as she turned the mirror this way and that. They'd let the electricity hit the mirror before they'd taken off and now that they were off of school grounds...

"Probably," Ryo admitted. She shifted the mirror once more before gasping softly. "Tatsuki, stand right there!"

"What?" the slayer turned her head to look at what Ryo was doing. "Are you kidding? It only works in the shade?!"

"Yes, now keep in between the sun and the mirror," Ryo began to follow the path on her mirror.

The two of them made their way through town, occasionally running into obstacles such as buildings as they tracked the thunder creature. Last night's research had given them three option. The first, they were dealing with a bullish creature, something a warlord had rode into battle. The second option was a Lizard-like creature renowned for devouring maidens and electrocuting entire villages during the feudal era. The third option was something neither girl wanted. Not a lizard, but certainly violent, and not a bull, but most assuredly a demonic warlord.

Their path led them to the new mall. The grand opening had been about two weeks ago, right before the electricity had been going all wonky. Tatsuki was surprised they hadn't suspected the place sooner, but with everything else in her life, something as innocent as a mall shouldn't have popped up on her radar at all. Maybe when they were done they'd figure out Why the demon had risen from the dead to cause problems.

"Damnit, I have to fight a demon while there's a sale at Ayame's?" Tatsuki glowered at the clothing shop while Ryo checked her mirror in her shadow. She could feel the demon all around them. Her slayer senses were vibrating with energy and the pain she'd associated with them for so long was finally numbing. "Do we have a location?"

"It should be right here," Ryo looked up and pointed towards the fountain in the middle of the food court.

As the two girls moved closer to the fountain, they could feel the air around them become charged. They could see people's hair standing up around them, frizzing and dancing in the air. No one walked through the area that didn't have to, or, in the case of laughing children, didn't want to. Tatsuki could tell they were going to be using Fire Alarms pretty often when dealing with the public. When the sprinkler system went off, sending the shoppers out, both girls could feel the sudden agitation in the air. The demonic presence was becoming more than that with person who left the building.

The statue atop the fountain began to crack. Jolts of lightening were crackling along the stone, out from beneath it and when the statue finally burst and revealed their demonic lord, Tatsuki realized something very bad. She'd forgotten her sword.

Not that it would have done much good. The demon had focused on her immidiately, flinging a bolt of lightening at them before lunging at her with a spear. Where he'd pulled it from, she had no idea, only that it was very sharp and very intent on killing her.

"I'm guessing you don't believe in introductions," tatsuki shouted as she slid beneath a stone bench.

Her only advantage in this fight was the lack of steel and metal around them. He wasn't an altogether bad looking demon, in fact, he looked rather attractive, but he was trying to kill her and that was very bad.

"On the contrary," the demon grinned at her. "I just don't believe in introducing myself tot he recently departed."

A bowl of rice came into contact with his head, spilling chicken and vegetables down his shirt as tiny white flecks clung to his hair. Tatsuki and the demon both turned to see Ryo standing there with the mirror, regret upon her face and another bowl in her hand. The demon flung Tatsuki into a store and rushed the one who'd actually attacked him. He didn't seem intent on killing her though. No, the demon had pinned her against a wall but he seemed to be...flirting with her.

"You're kind of rude, you know that?" the demon asked of Ryo.

"Convince me you didn't deserve it." She was trying very hard not to shake with fear. Handsome or not, his actions had hurt her boyfriend, Mizuiro, and Tatsuki. "What sort of weak thing wouldn't stand up against a bully like you?"

"Bully?" The demon leaned back and blinked at her. "What have I done?"

"Aside from catching half of the building in town on fire? And sending over a hundred people into a hospital that cant care for them?" Ryo scowled at him and began poking him in the chest. "I lost five reports thanks to you and your foolishness! Five, not to mention my perfect record was destroyed! I have never once been late to anything, but you've been throwing tantrums and now Momohara is going to take the award. Do you have any idea how stupid he is?"

Tatsuki began to climb out of the rubble, skirt torn and covered in dust. Her hands were shaking from a mere touch of this guys skin. Her nerves were shot to hell, burning and stining and tingling all at once. And Ryo...she'd actually attacked the guy. Despite the jolts still running through her body, the slayer pushed herself forward. What she saw when she looked up amazed her. Kneeling in front of a very confused Ryo was the thunder demon. His spear had been set aside and he seemed to be taking off his armor.

"I offer you my heart, fair and fearless maiden," the demon crooned to her. Tatsuki's face went slack as the demon pulled his top open to expose his chest. A very nice chest, actually, covered int tattoos and quite possibly sculpted from the same stone he'd burst fre from. "I, Hiten no Ryjuu, swear to the heavens we two came from, I will have you as my wife."

"This can only end badly," Tatsuki breathed as sh pushed herself up.

Ryo slammed her mirror into the demon's head. Tatsuki almost slipped from the shock of it and Ryo's eyes had widened at her own actions. None was more surprised than the demon however; the mirror began to swallow him. Nothing but the demon was being pulled into it's depths, slowly at first until Hiten was completely devoured by the hungry artifact. Ryo slumped to the ground as the mirror began to glow ever so slightly. She hadn't dropped it, but she didn't seem to have any strength left in her body. Not even enough to sit up straight. Finally Tatsuki managed enough strength to sit beside Ryo.

"You look trrible," Ryo laughed softly.

"So do you," Tatsuki grinned back.

"What has happened to my maiden?"

the two girls looked down at the mirror to see Hiten's face looking up at them. Anger was written all over it, but when he saw Ryo, he calmed somewhat, begging to know why his maiden had trapped him in such a prison. He swore to fight for her honor, for her enjoyment, anything she so wished if she might smile at him.

"Stop," Ryo held up a hand. "Capturing you wasn't easy and I'm a little tired."

"Ryo, I'm not so sure you should be so close tot hat thing right now," Tatsuki mumbled. She pushed the mirror away with her foot, ignoring the angred shouts of the demon within. "How did you even do that?"

"I...I remembered something from a dream," Ryo admitted. "When I was a little girl, I always heard a prayer. So I said it and hit him in the head and now I have a thunder demon trapped inside of a mirror."

The slayer looked at the mirror. She leaned over and grabbed it up, picking up the stone and turning it this way and that, much to the distaste of the demon inside. Yet, no matter what she felt for, wicked spells or demonic energy or even spiritual pressure, she couldn't feel a thing. It actually felt...good. Not pleasureable, but the energy of the mirror itself had always seemed good and nice to Tatsuki. Now the Good felt purer.

"Well, congratulations I guess," Tatsuki handed it over. "You have a poke-man."

"Maybe he'll learn thunderbolt," ryo grinned. "Not that it makes any sense. I mean, thunder is sound, he should be a lightening demon."

"Thunder can't Bolt anyways," Tatsuki nodded in agreement. "It echoes."

"Hey!" Hiten called from within the mirror. "I'm Hiten of the Thunder Tribe and the eldest of the Thunder Bro-"

"Do you shoot thunder at people?" Ryo cut him off.

Tatsuki leaned back and watched as her friend began to argue with the demon trapped in her mirror. A school girl and a demon lord were arguing over semantics and misnomers. Her life was getting stranger every day, and when the boys sent her a text, telling her that they'd taken care of her pest problem, she smiled. Strange was good. It kept her on her toes.

~!~

~!~

~!~

Because Stalking is when two people go out for a moonlit stroll together and one of them doesn't know the other is there.

This chapter is a little shorter than the last two, and for that I apologize. I wanted to bring in the idea of how Tatsuki would react if she felt someone following her around every night. She never once Saw Ichigo, she never heard him, she just knew he was there, watching. And let's face it, any one of us would see it as a stalker or a serial killer who wants to wear our skin.

For those of you keeping up with my other stories, they're coming along, slowly, but surely. JoH has finally touched down on Canton and CiWL is finally at Kilika. A new fic is going to join the others soon enough, and several more are going to be taken down from my profile. Happy New Year Everyone!


	11. Surprise

Surprise

Orihime looked at the recipe in her hands very carefully. It was of the utmost importance that she follow the recipe exactly, no add-ins or extra flavors. Apple Pie had to be made in exactly this way. If it wasn't exact and perfect, Tatsuki-chan wasn't going to eat it. Orihime knew this for a fact. She'd tried to alter it several times before, adding chili or even bacon, but Tatsuki-chan, who'd always tried all of Orihime's things before, simply wouldn't touch it. She didn't even compliment Orihime's creative thinking the way she usually did.

She'd put good money on Ryo not even being able to bake.

~!~

Tatsuki was kind of getting the hang of this hair styling thing thanks to her conversations with Rhona. Rhona was a senior Pote who had the unfortunate luck of running into a witch when she was five. It had taken her two years to escape the witch and while Tatsuki's curse wasn't as intense as the damage Rhona had suffered, the two girls had something they could communicate over. The crimson haired slayer had sent over a whole box of enchanted hair things made by the Watcher's Wiccan Council. One of the enchanted clips was in Tatsuki's hand right now. A strange, solid, ring made from jade and silver was looped around the thick coil of hair.

"Now just run it along to the bottom," Rhona's voice came over the computer screen. Her accent was thick and Tatsuki's English was struggling to keep up with the Irish woman. She did as told however, letting out a shout when the strands began to braid themselves. "Right, now when it get where you want the braid to end, squeeze it."

With a bright green glow, the jade ring tightened around the cable braid.

"Thank you Rhona," Tatsuki waved at the computer. "I have to go to school now. We'll talk later?"

"Of course we will!" Rhona snorted before turning her end off. "Happy Birthday just in case."

Tatsuki tried not to sigh at the blank screen. Easy enough when Ryo and Mizuiro were shouting at her from downstairs. Rhona had brought something up that Tatsuki was trying very hard to forget. Her birthday was this upcoming Friday and while before she could simply write it off that her birthday never went according to her plans, now she knew that it was because of a fan club that her life was always so chaotic. Her friends shouted for her once more and the slayer hurried her pace down to the front door. She hadn't taken that long, though it seemed she'd been late enough for Ichigo and Orihime to join them. Tatsuki slipped her shoes on before walking out the door, something somewhat closer to the loafers she used the wear, and joined the others on the sidewalk.

"You need to start waking up with me," Ryo hummed as she handed Tatsuki's school bag over. "I like the braid."

"Me too," Tatsuki laughed. "It's lighter this way."

"Maybe Tatsuki-chan should wear it in curls," Orihime stepped over to them as they started walking. "With a nice bow? Or maybe just some hair pins, like a noble lady!"

"I only wear that kind of thing at family events," Tatsuki shook her head. "I'm not a fan of curls either, they remind me of octopus."

"You're still not over that?" Ichigo asked from behind her. He was smiling at her, she could tell by the look on Orihime and Ryo's faces.

"Shut up," Tatsuki mumbled. She chanced a look behind her and immediately refocused on the sidewalk in front of her. He had been smiling, teasing and soft; if she had been upset at him for anything else there was a high chance she'd have forgiven him as soon as she saw that smile.

"Octopus?" Ryo asked. It was sarcastic and just what Tatsuki needed to shake loose. "You're afraid of octopus?"

"We were at the cherry blossom festival in fifth grade," Ichigo began.

"Don't you dare Kurosaki!" Tatsuki turned on him. He was still smiling at her, happy that she was shouting at him, which didn't make any sense at all even though it did. Mizuiro and Ryo weren't ready for his silence however, neither was Orihime or the recent addition of Ishida. She could hear them wanting to know, eager and impatient, but if Ichigo told them of the incident it would just be one more thing she could add to the list.

"Alright."

Tatsuki relaxed somewhat at his single word. Such a simple agreement over so small a thing. Tatsuki turned around and started walking towards school once more, ignoring the sound of Orihime and Keigo as they begged to know. Tatsuki only walked faster, to the point Ryo was one of the few keeping pace with her. The runner grabbed hold of Tatsuki's arm at one point, slowing her down just enough that she wasn't jogging to keep up. The others were at least a block behind them by then. It made things better, putting a visible distance between them.

"So, what do you want to do for your birthday?" Ryo asked as they waited for the stop light. "Friday night, a new club is opening down by the garment district."

"That could be fun," Tatsuki nodded. "I almost forgot about my birthday to be honest."

"Well your fan club didn't," Ryo pointed at a bakery they were passing. A sign was up in the window claiming that no more orders were going to be taken until the day after Tatsuki birthday. "I bet there's a shortage on apples too."

~!~

Tatsuki wasn't awakened by the sound of her alarm clock, rather, she woke to the sound of the flute. Three flutes right outside of her window and down on the lawn. Tatsuki grumbled and turned to look at her alarm. It was 5:30 in the morning. She wasn't supposed to wake up for another hour at least. The slayer sat up in bed, nearly snarling at those who stood outside of her window as she threw the window open. Ten people stood on her front lawn with bright and hopeful faces. Some offering gifts, others holding up pies and no less than five people with instruments in hand.

"Get the hell off my lawn!" Tatsuki shouted at them. "And if I hear anyone wake me up before 6:45 ever again we are going to have some serious problems."

Tatsuki slammed her window shut and let out a growling breath. She had been slaying until at least 3 last night, chasing down several troublesome vampire before going to mediate a disagreement between a shaman and an exorcist. Grumbling the whole way to the bathroom, Tatsuki resolved to sit in the bathtub until 6:45, just letting the last twenty-four hours melt away in order to make it through the next.

She almost fell asleep twice in the tub, just too tired from her duty to return to her normal life. That life wasn't really hers anyway. She wasn't sure it ever had been. Sure she had friends and she enjoyed the real world, but it almost seemed as though she was more suited to kimono and tea service in the daytime and leather pants and beheadings at night. She got to fight all she wanted now, without worrying about holding back or insulting someone accidentally. There wasn't any worry that she couldn't be feminine like Orihime or Kuchiki. She didn't need to be feminine like them because she was a slayer. A hunter in the night and they were...they were day lilies. She was a night blossom, that was when she was at her best.

Tatsuki heard Ryo's alarm go off and moved her foot to pull the drain. A few foot gestures later and the shower was turned on. That meant standing up and she'd get to that at some point.

Tatsuki yawned as she walked to school with the others, waving the fervent club members away as they hurried forward to offer her coffee. She didn't want coffee, she wanted to go back in time and fall asleep until her birthday was over and done with. A certain friend hadn't agreed with that idea; Ryo had come into the bathroom in the middle of Tatsuki's shower to do her make-up. She'd also thrown Tatsuki's clothes at her when the slayer wasn't moving quite fast enough.

"Don't glare at me," Ryo sniffed.

"I will glare at anyone who walks in front of me today," Tatsuki grumbled.

"Two hours of sleep does not a happy Tatsuki make," Mizuiro teased from beside them.

For the first time since their return, Ichigo and the others weren't walking next to them. It might have had something to do with the fact they were being guarded by Dragon Moon, but Tatsuki somehow wasn't convinced of that. There was also the possibility the Club had successfully managed to divert the ghost hunters. Orihime had talked to her nonstop yesterday, eager to take Tatsuki to Playland for her birthday, if that was the case Tatsuki was feeling a little grateful for the club.

She started to change her mind once they got to school. Her acknowledgment of the club had somehow given them permission to turn the front yard of the school into a runway. Boys from numerous schools were standing on either side of the crimson painted sidewalk and cameras were flashing nonstop. A riot nearly erupted when she began walking onto school grounds, growing in volume when Ryo tossed a single photograph into the roaring mass.

"How the hell did I not notice this for so long?" Tatsuki asked as they escaped the club. Yamada was standing by the door, too used to this sort of thing it seemed. He shut the door tight behind the girls, locking it up with a satisfied grin.

"I'm not sure, but I've been waiting to lock them out sine you came here," Yamada brushed his hands off. "Now get to class, both of you."

The two girls nodded and headed for class, noting with some confusion the amount of apple pie that had been shoved into the trashcan by the lockers. Every can along the way seemed to have a pie in it and judging by the deep scowl on Ichigo's face, she could tell who had been throwing them away. He was even licking a finger when she walked in. That was very unfair. Aside from the fact the entire building smelled of her favorite food, his mouth was making the slayer wake up.

~!~

When school ended she was quite sure of two things. One, she really wanted apple pie. It had been thrust at her in between every break only to be jerked away from her by Ichigo and thrown into the trash. 'It could be drugged' he'd defended, and while he did have a point, Ichigo was the second thing she was sure of. In particular she was damn sure of the fact that she needed to be far away from him. He kept doing things that were unfairly sexy and whenever she was assaulted by her club he popped up in between them, his broad back shielding her from the very sight of her fanclub. The scent of him and apple pie was driving the slayer mad and the cage of control she'd been working on for so many years was falling apart.

Thank god for Yukimura. Even if the two of them only shared bad taste in men and a general dislike for people who wasted time, the teacher had called her back after class like usual, giving her the chance to escape the throngs waiting outside. The teacher expertly played the role of disappointed instructor while Tatsuki 'forced' herself to drudge to her desk. Yukimua was digging through her desk as the class filed out, complaining about late papers and a distinct lack of respect for authority.

"But enough about Kurosaki," Yukimura smiled as the door slid shut. She lifted a small parcel from the drawer. "Here. I know, it's not fancy or anything, but I think you deserve it."

A small apple pie was handed over, no bigger than a cupcake.

"Thank you," Tatsuki breathed out. The slayer hopped onto one of the desks and began to eat. "Oh, this is good. Did you make it?"

"No." Yukimura shook her head with a laugh. "I can't cook to save my life. My fiance made that, he had the same sort of fanclub problems."

"The bad boy?" Tatsuki asked as she caught a falling piece of pie crust.

"No, Yusuke and I were too different." Yukimura glanced over the test in her hands, frowning in confusion. "He ended up with someone like you actually. Although she doesn't run when they have issues."

"I'm not running." Tatsuki took the last bite. "I'm just...I mean, I just want him to meet me halfway." Tatsuki shook her head. "No. No, I want him to chase me for a while. That's what I want."

"Well he's certainly rising to the occasion," Yukimura smiled at her. "Just make sure to let him catch you."

Tatsuki nodded before she wadded up the paper and threw it away. Yukimura studiously avoided looking as Tatsuki grabbed her backpack and jumped from the window. As she fell, she noticed something she should have seen sooner. Someone was walking out of the building, bag resting on their head to keep the sun off.

"I need to look before I leap," Tatsuki pushed herself up from the person she'd landed on. Orange hair and dark eyes were looking up at her in confusion causing her to scramble off. Her scrambling and his scuttling were only successful in tangling their limbs further. The bars of that cage were creaking and his hands were hot on her waist as he tried to lift her off of his form. "Stop moving!"

Ichigo stopped moving, allowing Tatsuki to fully push herself off of him. She was on her feet and grabbing her bag seconds later before looking for her tenshi. They were always waiting for her here, so where were they? Why was she standing alone with Ichigo after landing on top of him? There wasn't a lot of time to stand and wonder, she could hear the stampede that was her fanclub coming ever closer.

Ichigo's hand wrapped around her wrist and began to pull her along behind him.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm saving you."

Ichigo pulled them to the right, down a corridor Tatsuki had never entered before. The two hid in the shadows as a group of club members rushed past, shouting and crying as the scent of apples and cinnamon followed in a cloying fog. As she hid in the shadow, pressed in between the wall and Ichigo's chest, she knew no one else would do. All day he'd been pushing her behind him, now he was pulling her close, possessive in a way that made the Slayer want to purr.

"I have to find Ryo," Tatsuki breathed as the last of the club members disappeared from view. "We're going out later."

"You might want to tell Orihime that," Ichigo snorted softly. "She planned a party at your house. Ryo went to go stop her."

Tatsuki let her head fall against the cement wall before leaving the cage that Ichigo had created with his arms. Tatsuki didn't like surprise parties and Ryo didn't like Orhime, two very bad things were about to happen tonight. It didn't really count as a surprise party though; Ichigo had told her about it while he was rescuing her. She didn't need to glance over to know he was following her home, still protecting her from the fan club, and possibly helping her to break up the pending fight between Ryo and Orihime. Why the two girls disliked one another Tatsuki would never know; Ryo never wanted to explain.

She could hear the commotion going on at the manor before she saw it. Loud music and shouting had the two tens running to the scene, pushing through lingering fans and dodging cars until they saw the manor proper. Surely enough, Ryo was standing opposite Orihime, Chad in between them as Ichigo's Shinigami friends tried to calm the situation. Ryo saw Tatsuki first, turning and silently begging her to move Chad out of the way. The onslaught of noise and spiritual energy grew when everyone noticed she and Ichigo had arrived. Enhanced senses combined with a sensitivity to spirits actually had her moving closer to Ichigo in hopes he might block everything with his energy. They were just coming closer and now Ichigo had joined in on the shouting.

"Stop!" Tatsuki's shout wasn't high pitched or deep but it made them shut up. Most of them calmed down and reeled their energy back in. There were a lot of things she wanted to ask and a lots of words she wanted to say but none of them were nice or calm. "What the...Who..." Tatsuki shook her head and let out a breath, settling on the nicest question she could think of. "Why is my house full of people I don't know?"

"Oh! Well Ryo followed me here-"

"I live here," Ryo cut her off.

"That doesn't mean-" Tatsuki shushed them both before they started arguing again. Orihime refocused under the slayer's glare. "I invited everyone over so you could learn the ropes of hunting hollows!" Orihime came closer and Tatsuki had to hold an arm in front of Ryo to keep things from getting bad. "I mean, now that you're a spiritualist..."

"I'm not..." Tatsuki took a deep breath and tried to reign in and organize her thoughts.

She couldn't. There was no way to react to this situation in a reasonable manner because the situation itself wasn't so out of place. The slayer sighed and turned away from the house, walking away from the front door and back to the street. What the hell was she supposed to do? Her front yard had people milling about in it and she could hear people inside of the house. Ryo was behind her making quietly mean comments to Orihime and Ichigo...he was standing silent behind her. Not too close to her and not exactly behind her, but standing between herself and the sudden influx of people in her life.

When a shining black car pulled around the corner, Tatsuki had never been so happy or relieved. That was her mother's car. The driver was right there in front, crisp suit and dark glasses over his eyes and a smile on his face. He even waved to her before turning to speak to the back seat. Tatsuki's mother was always there when she really needed her. Always. The people behind Tatsuki fell silent when the car stopped in front of the manor and the driver hopped out.

"Ojou," The driver nodded as her opened the rear door.

A delicate hand was the first thing to come out, so much like Tatsuki's own, followed by a great and billowing sleeve of bright white silk. The driver took the hand and helped Mother out from the car. The traditional robes of an onmyoji had always been something Tatsuki had dreaded. Yards of white and crimson silk spilled out of the car with every step Mother took. It was almost like looking into the future for Tatsuki. A very slight woman with a very large attitude, dressed in formal robes only because she needed to be and very eager to get out of them. The woman pursed her lips and looked at the people gathered around her before turning sharp eyes onto Tatsuki.

"Ito, go see if the cook needs any help," Arisawa Mai waved him off. "And wash the car."

The driver nodded, bowing quickly before moving to drive the car around back. Mai pulled a fan from her obi and flipped it open, scowling at the people on her lawn once more before she returned her gaze to her daughter.

"Welcome home Mother," Tatsuki bowed to the intimidating woman.

"My home would be far more welcoming if it was empty."

"I'm very sorry," Tatsuki apologized.

"Did you arrange this malady on my senses?" Mai asked shrewdly. "I can already tell you didn't. So who did? Hm?" The entire crowd stiffened with the energy coming off of Mai. "Was it you Kurosaki? No, you're much too cowardly to cross me...so who was it?"

Tatsuki was certain that her mother was the only person who could call Ichigo a coward and not get a reaction.

"Uh, it was me, Arisawa-san," Orihime took a shaking step forward. "I wanted to introduce Tatsuki-chan to, well, that is to say..."

"My daughter is perfectly capable of finding her own companions Orihime-shi," Mai cut her off. The woman began to walk up the path to the front door, only barely pleased when Rukia opened the front door for her. "If you're done you can leave. All of you. You're clogging up my wards with your lack of restraint and death energy."

"Arisawa no Kimi," Rukia bowed low before the woman. Her entire demeanor had shifted to match that of Mai's. "Seireitei most fervently wishes to pay their respects tot he Arisawa Clan on this day."

Rukia remained bowed as the Onmyoji cast her eyes about those still on the lawn before looking at the guests lined up just inside the door. She snapped her fan shut and waved Tatsuki to her side.

"Go and change. The quicker we finish the sooner they will leave," Mai told her. Tatsuki nodded and hurried through the throng of people gathered to go and change. Ryo flickered to her side in seconds while the maid passed them to attend to her mother.

~!~

Onmyoji Mai no Sugisawa of the Arisawa clan was sipping tea on a low dias beneath a cherry tree, watching everyone with hawk eyes and pursed lips. Her gaze made every Shinigami turn to stone and the Vaizard had turned back into the officers they once were. Even Urahara had straightened his attire and removed his hat. Then again, if they claimed the woman was a master of Yin and Yang magic, it was entirely possible that was the reason Tatsuki had begun fighting. Any human that turned a Shinigami into a cowering mass was alright by Ishida. Anyone that made Ichigo turn into a rigid, borderline nervous wreck, less so. Ichigo had straightened his uniform as much as possible and his hair was neater than it had been in the beginning of the day. He looked uncomfortable with the way things were working out; he had been since Orihime suggested the party.

"That's Arisawa's mother?" Ishida asked Ichigo as they sat in the atrium. Anything to try and break the nervous tension floating through the air. Mai's eyes seemed to snap over to them at Ishida's question.

"Yes," Ichigo answered, keeping eye contact with the woman. "I knew this was a bad idea." His answer was not assuring, in fact, it only made Uryuu realize that this wasn't something they would be forgiven for any time soon. If at all. There would be no laughter in a few minutes and the smallest insult to the priestess in front of them could very well ruin the day.

"I still don't understand why Tatsuki-chan's mother wouldn't want her to have a party," Orihime whispered quietly beside them.

"It's not that," Ichigo whispered back. "It's the way you did it. Tatsuki hates surprise parties and Mai hates when people upset Tatsuki."

"She punched me once," Chad hummed in agreement.

Ishida could see the way Ichigo tensed at Chad's words. He was expecting Mai to punish him, to scold him and possibly even ban him from the manor. Was that why he was being so respectful? Or had Mai beaten it into him the same way Tatsuki had? His questions were cut short when someone else walked into the atrium. Ishida's own father walked up and bowed before taking an empty seat to Mai's left. Mai leaned over to whisper to the doctor, fan hiding her mouth from sight as she made the doctor smile. Ishida kept thinking back to the incidents where Tatsuki was sitting in his father's office. Sometimes Ryo was there, sometimes not, but the way his father looked at Mai and Tatsuki both...He would not think about that.

The door of the cherry atrium opened once more to reveal the girl they'd all been waiting for. She entered in a wave of crimson silk and liquid obsidian. Gold thread glittered in the sunlight that fell from above them and Ishida swore that this girl must have walked out of a history book. Tatsuki made her way through the aisle of people and knelt down beside her mother. It was like placing a phoenix in a cage full of crows and doves; you couldn't not look at her. Ryo was walking behind her, calm and demure in a blush colored kimono, a faded after image of the princess she was following.

Ishida wouldn't have imagined Arisawa could look like that. She'd always been Arisawa, martial artist and tomboy, Ichigo's old childhood friend who'd punched him onto his ass more times than anyone. When they came back from Hueco Mundo she'd turned into something else, a dangerous kind of girl who was rough and sexy, you wanted to touch her and avoid her all at once. Right now Arisawa looked like the most refined and perfectly delicate court lady imaginable. Ishida glanced over at his friend. The look on Ichigo's face was surprising and predicted all at once. Surprising because he was openly displaying it; Ishida had known for a long time how the boy felt about Arisawa.

"You may declare yourselves," Mai waved her fan at those gathered.

Urahara went up first. He was smiling at Mai as he pulled something from his jacket. A box of candy, bight and cheerful, it almost seemed out of place. Mizuiro took it from him before handing it back to Ryo. Tatsuki took it from her, thanking Urahara with a small though genuine smile. It was very odd, watching as Urahara introduced the representatives of the spirit world, speaking only of their positive qualities; the way he spoke made them sound dreadful. Mai was smirking ever so slightly at his descriptions. Particularly his description of the 'humbly born Lieutenant of the sixth division'.

Late last night Rukia and Renji had arrived after being granted leave for Tatsuki's birthday. No one could quite figure out why until Urahara showed up and explained Yamamoto's approval of 'the lady slayer'. That was what made a gift from the captain commander expected, even if the knowledge wasn't. The gift was nothing particularly dangerous or even useful in Ishida's opinion, but whatever strange meaning was associated with the plate was enough to make Mai's eyes light up with pride. Renji stop at that however. He and several of the more aggressive shinigami had made up a gift basket of sorts with Unohana's help; that succeeded in making Tatsuki smile. In turn, Renji was able to return to his seat with a sigh of relief.

"From the noble house Kuchiki, I bring a book of demons," Rukia spoke. Even a blind man could see the complete confusion on Rukia's face. Her brother had sent her with a very specific gift for a single human girl he'd never met or heard of outside of Yamamoto's briefing. She set the item in Ryo's hands and it traveled up to the Arisawa women. "It is all the spirit world has collected over the years on the demons of Living Japan. The kuchiki clan hopes it is of aide."

Rukia didn't have a great deal of time to say anything else, Mai was dismissing her with hardly a word of thanks and asking for the next batch of people. The Vaizard. She must have heard of them, and to see Mai's face, she rather liked them. They had a collection of things ready for Tatsuki, all of which were seemingly normal items. A hair pin, a painting, books and cds, normal things a teenaged girl would want. One of the books had both Ryo and Tatsuki blushing bright red while Risa only smiled. She bowed low before moving backwards and returning to her seat, never once turning her back on he onmyoji.

"Ishida." Mai's voice cut through the atrium. The sharp sound was ennunciated by the snap of spiritual energy she sent out. Like a rubber band snapped against your skin, it made everyone flinch before disappearing, only Tatsuki and Mai seemed unaffected by it while Ichigo's teeth had grit at the feeling. "I see your son has attended."

"He has," the doctor agreed. "As your family follows the Onmyodo, so my son follows that path of the Quincy."

Ishida was quite unnerved by the woman's stare. He could understand now why Ichigo was so tightly wound before. Her hawk eyes could see right through into your soul, judging your light against your darkness. The Arisawa matron waved him forward with her fan and he couldn't stop himself from moving forward. Every fiber of his being told him to go the other way.

"Ishida Uryuu," Mai hummed. "Your family has been vassals of the Arisawa clan for centuries. I first met your grandfather on Rougetsu, and then your father in Sugisawa. Are you going to follow in those footsteps as well? Or will I continue to suffer cleaning up the spiritual residue of an amateur purifier?"

What could he say? He couldn't very well insult the woman in her own home on Tatsuki's birthday. While he wasn't great friends with Arisawa, she wasn't a shinigami and she was fighting something that fell under Quincy jurisdiction. His grandfather had spent a lot of time explaining demons and the danger they posed, not just to humans but to shinigami and benign spirits as well. He'd talked of the great hunts he and his friend Kenji would go on before they grew too old to keep up. Things were suddenly very clear to Ishida. His grandfather and Kenji, his father and Mai...a quincy and a balance keeper.

"I would be honored," Ishida bowed low to the floor.

"Rise and sit beside your father," Mai spoke easily. "You, Yasutora is it? You may approach."

Ishida sat beside his father for the first time in many years, watching the strangest birthday party he'd ever seen. A glance to his right showed that while Tatsuki knew this role very well, she was hideously bored with the whole thing. Seeing how her family behaved explained so much about Tatsuki herself. Her calm reactions to seeing ghosts and magic, her slightly abrasive, though formal, way of interacting with people. It explained her reactions to others most of all. Modest and blushing like the perfect damsel while she struck out at those who'd offended her; just like her mother.

Chad's voice was clear and strong as he presented his gift to Tatsuki's mother. The tall Mexican was gifting them with a cd from back home. A punk rock band he remembered Tatsuki had been interested in. He'd written down translations of the songs as well, so she could better understand what the singer was trying to say. Chad bowed in a more western style as he waited for Mai to release him. Ishida was very confused by the way Chad acted. While everyone else had spoken only to Mai, they'd given their gifts to Tatsuki. Chad hadn't paid any mind to Tatsuki in the entire time he was up there. The man was dismissed and Orihime came up next.

Ishida was frustrated for the girl. She was so sweet and kind, and while the party may not have been the best idea, she'd done it to be closer to her friend. Anyone could see that. Everyone could see the irritation on Tatsuki's face earlier too. The big revelation party and birthday bash had nose dived into a cold hell for Orihime. Perhaps that was the price for trying to ambush what was once your best friend. He would never understand the way girls behaved around one another and he never wanted to get involved in a fight between them. Ishida's brow twitched as he realized being a vassal meant just that.

"I uhm, I wanted to give you this," Orihime passed the box up directly, stepping over people to hand it to Tatsuki. Mai was flipping her fan open and closed as her lips pursed in annoyance. Tatsuki herself was unable to do much more than take the box being pushed towards her while Ryo was decidedly angry at the ginger girl. She did in fact push Orihime back a bit.

"Will you sit down?" Mai finally grit out, pointing with her fan to the place Everyone else had knelt in front of her. "This is a gifting, not a circus."

"Oh!" Orihime laughed nervously and opened her mouth to speak again. The look on Mai's face was not interested in listening. When Orihime moved back to where Mai was pointing she continued speaking to Tatsuki. "I thought it would be nice if we could have tea parties together now that we're both hunting monsters. We could have our own princess club now, with matching costumes and..."

Orihime continued on as Tatsuki pulled the frothy blue mass from it's containment. Sky blue and covered in lace, the lolita dress was something to make the girliest of girls squeal in delight. It certainly would look ideal at a tea party but everyone could see that Tatsuki was not that kind of princess. She was the princess who wore kimono while someone else served tea and snuck out of the castle wearing leather pants. Not that he'd ever tell Ichigo he'd seen Tatsuki in her leather pants.

As Tatsuki calmly found the words to thank Orihime, the door leading from the house opened up and a dark haired westerner came quietly in with a stack of boxes. Mai was almost smirking at the stranger's appearance and Tatsuki, well, she was completely distracted.

"Faith," Mai waved the woman forward. She was smiling fully now. Something great and terrible and dangerously beautiful. "I'm glad you could make it."

Faith sauntered forward with all the grace of a jungle cat. She was much like Tatsuki, though more practiced at the dangerous beauty their companion had begun to exude. She was the smile of Arisawa Mai personified and even that wasn't quite enough to explain the woman in the designer suit. Ishida knew this was the woman who was teaching Tatsuki the ways of monster hunting. Orihime shifted nervously while Ichigo's shoulders had tensed, ready to leap in between Tatsuki and this woman.

"I wouldn't miss my little sister's birthday for the world."

That single sentence made the entire atrium fall deathly silent. Even breath stopped as they processed the idea that Tatsuki had a half sister. A sister whom Mai seemed quite happy to see taking a seat to Tatsuki's left. She was so very casual in her demeanor, sticking out while fitting in just right. Mai leaned over to Tatsuki as Faith shoved the frothy dress back into it's box and handed it to Ryo in exchange for one of her own. Mai's whispered words were causing the teens eyes to widen in shock and joy as she glanced between Faith and Mai.

"I baked you a pie too!" Orihime smiled brightly, breaking into the quiet speech of the three women on the dias. "It's in the kitchen right now, the strange woman in there seemed a little unhappy, but I made it exactly the way you like it."

Mai leaned over to listen to Tatsuki whisper into her ear.

"Your gift will find use," Mai spoke for Tatsuki. "I do wonder however, why you have never introduced yourself to me, I hardly know more than your name, and even that is... You may present yourself tomorrow at four pm." Mai shifted and looked past Orihime. Mai's eyes grazed over Ichigo's form, the snapping rubber band feeling directed solely at the teen before she looked across everyone else.

"Faith, I would presume you have gifts for your sister?" Mai's voice was so much softer when she spoke to Faith.

The dangerous woman in the designer clothing grinned before leaning over to grab the box beside Ryo. Tatsuki's stake had disappeared somewhere when faith leaned forward, presumably into her sleeve. When Faith handed the small box over, the glee in Tatsuki's face lit the entire atrium up. A pair of gloves came out and were slid onto dainty looking hands. They were studded with silver and made from an unknown leather practically dripping with enchantments. The woman, Faith, explained the details of the gift in English. A subject Ishida still struggled with.

"She's explaining that the gloves are designed for street fighting slayers," Doctor Ishida explained in a whisper. "Your mother would have loved them."

"You never talk about her." Ishida watched as the kimono clad heiress slid the gloves on and punched the air.

"I know." The doctor's fist tightened ever so slightly. "I'd rather lose you to a hollow than a demon. With a hollow, you have a chance at reincarnation."

"Tatsuki, Lady Slayer and heiress to the Arisawa Onmyodo clan, I would present this gift to you." Mai grabbed everyone's attention once more and Tatsuki pulled her gloves off. Mai pulled a long black box from her sleeve and handed it off to Tatsuki.

Ishida watched with as much fascination as anyone else in the room as Tatsuki pulled a stake from the box. The wood was so dark it bordered on black while elaborate silver detailing crawled along it like vines.

"This is the stake of the previous slayer, Ishida Shie." Mai's words made Ishida's breath catch; his father's hand came to rest on his shoulder, gripping tight for his own support. "Carved from the petrified wood of the Judas tree, cleansed with holy water, and emblazoned with the silver of thirteen coins, it will serve you as faithfully as it did my friend."

There was a dangerous glint in Tatsuki's eyes, hungry and battle ready as she twirled the stake between her fingers, back and forth with a skill few possessed. There was a beast inside of her to rival Ichigo's and it was closer to the surface. Not a hollow and certainly not evil, it had Tatsuki flipping her new toy once in the air before catching it and twirling it yet again. She was a warrior who had found a new weapon. It was not a weapon for fighting ghosts, contrary to what Orihime might try to convince herself of, it was a weapon for killing someone brutally. The way the beast inside of her craved.

"Oh!" Faith smiled brightly. "I have one other thing." She tossed a ziplock bag over to Tatsuki. "I burned all of your panties."

Ishida watched as Tatsuki pulled a bag of ashes from the box in her lap. His father had just confessed a great deal to him and the American woman was saying something about fire and underpants. The entire group inside of the atrium stopped thinking as they registered the words that had come out of Faith's mouth. The woman grinned wickedly before bounding away faster than any human aught have and Tatsuki, in a very rare moment, blushed petal pink. Tatsuki shifted to rise, sleeves catching under her knees as she cursed and broke the image of propriety, her hair fell from it's coif and no few curses spilled from her lips. By the time she stood, she was shouting up a storm, bag of ashes in one hand as she ran through the atrium.

"What just happened?" Orihime asked quietly. She was still sitting in front of the dias and just as confused as anyone else in the room.

"My stepdaughter seems to have set fire to Tatsuki's underthings. Obviously." Mai smirked and flipped her fan open while a heavy thump sounded from Ichigo's direction.

"Why?" Tatsuki shouted as she struggled out of the kimono. "Why did you burn my underwear?!"

"Mostly to see if your not-boyfriend would pass out," Faith smirked from Tatsuki's bed. "Relax, I only burned the ugly ones. And I replaced them with sexy slayerwear."

Tatsuki looked at the 'cheeky' hanging from Faith's fingers with a raised brow. It was a mix between a thong and a boyshort and she knew that the very second she went into public wearing it, the wind would pick up and someone was sure to see.

"I got you something else too," Faith leaned over while Tatsuki gained the upper hand against the silk. As Tatsuki stepped out of the crumpled garment, Faith began to unzip a garment bag. Inside was something simple and blue. A dress. "Lesson Three Moon-baby. For all we do, for as much as we use sex and violence, sometimes it's okay to just be a girl. To have a crush on a boy and to pick flowers. Or even sit down and watch a romance movie. I have a dress back in Baltimore, it's pink with flowers on it."

Tatsuki moved closer to the simple blue dress in the garment bag. Her fingers grazed the simple cotton almost fearfully. The younger slayer let out a determined breath before she picked the dress up and began to put it on. The very act of putting it on had become something foreign to her. Kimono and school uniforms were one thing, dressing to kill was another, but each of those had a purpose. The slayer adjusted the hem and went to look in the mirror. She'd changed so much over the winter. She'd stopped binding herself for practice and the sudden growth of her hair had given her one more layer in the slayer/heiress/schoolgirl cake that made her. Faith had shown her the Sexy layer and now she was exposing the Girl layer.

"No one can be just one thing." Faith leaned back on Tatsuki's bed. "Humans aren't built like that. Especially not women."

"Are we really blood sisters?" Tatsuki asked. The dress was actually kind of nice. It made her feel like a girl...and dammit she Was a girl. She was an awesome layer cake girl.

"Dad and I ran into each other in Chicago last week and your mother was there...we ended up hiding from a drake in some wizard's kitchen for like, three hours. Dad confessed and Mai's wizard buddies decided not to kill us." Faith shrugged. "It just gives me more of a reason to spoil you and fuck with that starry-eyed ginger kid."

Tatsuki was almost surprised to see Dr. Ishida and his son still sitting in the atrium when she came back down. Faith had followed her down and disappeared a few seconds ago. The two of them were speaking very quietly to one another with drawn faces. It was the only the two of them standing in the atrium, Ryo and the others were gone, as were the Shinigami and the old Spray Gang. The two men stopped talking to look at her; they were so similar and so very different.

"Where's mom?" Tatsuki asked.

"I believe she went to the dining room," Dr. Ishida answered. "Before you leave, I have a gift for you as well."

Tatsuki walked back into the atrium, trying to ignore the look she was getting from Uryuu for wearing a dress. The doctor pulled a small velvet box from his pocket. Tatsuki took it, thanking the man before she even opened it. It was a bracelet. Strands of silver chain had been woven and braided together with odd looking stones carved with what she assumed were quincy runes.

"It's a protective bracelet," the doctor explained as she pulled it from the box. He moved to clasp it around her wrist, pausing as Uryuu surprised them both by doing it for the slayer. "It's a bit more lasting than some charm."

"Thank you." Tatsuki knew the jab was meant for the absent Isshin, that was why she smiled at the doctor. "I should let you two get back to..." She waved her hand.

"I'd rather speak with you a moment," Uryuu adjusted his glasses. "If that's alright."

"I guess," Tatsuki nodded. She wasn't pissed of at him for betraying her trust and Doc seemed happy that his son was taking a break from their super intense talk. The slayer began to walk towards the dining room, pausing for only a moment to make sure Uryuu was following her. He was.

It was a few minutes before he spoke up.

"That bracelet is usually given to the daughters of Quincy," Uryuu explained. "When an aggressive spirit attacks her, the bracelet reacts and throws them off."

"Well, when you have a daughter I'll be sure to hand it back," Tatsuki assured him. "Unless you're upset that a Slayer has it instead of you."

"Hardly." The teen beside her snorted at the idea. "I was more concerned with the idea my father was attempting to win the favor of your mother. He has a certain affection for y..."

"Stop," Tatsuki put up a hand. They'd reached the dining room doors. "Okay? Just stop...I don't really want to think about my mom and your dad..." Tatsuki shook her head of the image, hair swinging about her. "I'm not ready for a stepdad, hell, I barely know my dad-dad."

The slayer walked into the room to see that she wasn't the only one who'd changed clothes between then and now. She was also a bit surprised to see who was no longer there. All that remained were her tenshi and her family, though there wasn't much of a difference between the two. Faith had beaten her down here and Tatsuki could hear Dr. Ishida coming up behind herself and his son. Her jeans and t-shirt wearing mother was the first to notice her entering. Mai looked more like herself now, with a messy ponytail and a causal bearing, Tatsuki actually felt like she was home.

"Give us a spin," Mai gestured, grinning.

Everyone turned to look, Ryo clapping in approval while Keigo began to recite overly dramatic prose. Tatsuki couldn't help but turn for them. She couldn't help smiling either. She took the seat beside her mother after her spin, allowing herself to begin relaxing after the earlier events. The maid and the cook brought out the first course of the meal, joining them at the table with the valet and the gardener. Dr. Ishida and Uryuu pulled up a place as well, though the latter looked faintly uncomfortable. That would change soon enough.

"How is school holding up under the slayer weight?" Mai asked as they began to eat.

"Ryo's been helping me out with it," Tatsuki admitted. "How is...the magic business?"

Tatsuki wondered if perhaps her mother was going to catch something on fire. The woman began to tell her exactly what was going on in her council of magic users. A very troublesome wizard, Faith was backing Mai up on her description of the Dresden man, had been getting into a lot of better left untouched situations. Already being watched for having used dark magic, the man just kept toeing that line.

"I learned my lesson about that," Faith laughed sadly. "I also should have stayed put a bit longer."

"No you should not have," Mai snorted. "Duty must often be placed before the self. You've repented quite enough in the eyes of Onmyodo. Perhaps more than was expected. This man has not. Will not admit to wrong doing. He believes the end justified the means. Some might agree with him, but We cannot."

Dinner conversation had much less to do with ethics and morals and a lot more to do with Faith taking the tenshi out after that. A gift from the council to Tatsuki and her team for a job well done. The lead slayer had a soft spot for teams of friends and figuring things out as you went. She was even okay with robbing the local museum for a slayer sword, not that anyone would come out and say it directly.

"We almost forgot," Keigo spoke up, pulling a giftbag from under the table. "By our funding combined, we give you your birthday gift!"

"Hiten may have let it slip that he knew a smith," Ryo hummed as she passed the giftbag down to Tatsuki. "So we all pitched in and...convinced him to make you something."

Tatsuki pulled the item out of the giftbag, ignoring the catcalls from Faith as she held it up. It was strappy leather and glittering chain-mail and it only barely qualified as a corset. Barely. Too tight to fit over her clothes and too scandalous to be worn alone, she had no idea what she'd do with the thing. It certainly wouldn't fit under her clothes.

"It was the most covering thing we could convince him to make," Mizuiro sighed. "We even bribed him with extra sake, but apparently he has this thing for demon hunters..."

"So you have a battle-kini," Keigo apologized. "We really did try."

"I like it!" Faith grinned. "You can wear it tonight at the club."

~!~

"Lesson Five!" Faith shouted over the din of the club. "Have a drink now and then!"

"I'm only seventeen," Tatsuki shouted back. She was wearing the overly shiney 'armor' over a bright red bra and a miniskirt. She still accepted the glass passed over to her. Something bright pink in a martini glass that tasted much better than she expected it to. The crowd began to quiet as the DJ slowed the evening down for a spell. Ryo was still dancing with Keigo and Mizuiro had gone to get his girlfriend from outside.

"I was fifteen when I had my first drink," Faith waved it off. "Besides, your mom said it was fine so long as I kept you in sight."

"What if I try to run away from them?" Tatsuki asked. Just over Faith's shoulder she could see Ichigo and the others coming into the club. Ishida had pushed his way over to them leaning close to the orange haired man and shouting as the music picked up again. What a traitor, after she'd invited him to go out too!

"We don't run Moon Baby, we make a hasty retreat." Faith started pulling Tatsuki back onto the dance floor.

She didn't pull Tatsuki out of the club though, she pulled her deep into the throng of moving people, right in front of the speakers and beneath the lights. The pulse radiated through her shoes and into her chest while the smell of men and women surrounded her. Faith was dancing in front of her and others were dancing all around her. This was the moment she loved. When nothing mattered outside of her little world. The feel of Faith's hands on her shoulders as they danced was assuring, but the sudden feel of someone else's hands on her waist was thrilling. The slayer's eyes drifted closed as she continued to move to the rhythm of the music and the man behind her was oh so hesitant about touching her; she couldn't help but tease him.

"Have fun moon baby," Faith laughed into her ear. "Make him squirm."

Then she was gone, and the man dancing with her was holding just a bit tighter. The smell of his cologne and the heat coming from his hands was exactly what Tatsuki had been worried about when Ichigo entered. He wasn't trying to talk with her though. They were just dancing. He wasn't trying for anything more than she was willing to give him right now. She could give him a little more.

Her hands slid down to cover his own and for the slightest moment he tensed. A very slight moment, soon enough he started moving again, enjoying their time together without words. No words meant no lying, just feeling one's body against their own. The bass ran through the both of them, the scent of Ichigo combined with that of her own and when one of his hands drifted up her side she found her own had gone up to the back of his neck.

A loud crash sounded from the stage as Tatsuki's slayer senses stabbed into her abdomen. The slayer was just able to keep from doubling over as she adjusted tot he sudden pain. Screams began to echo through the club and the mass of dancers was soon a mass of runners. Still Ichigo held onto her, unspeaking, simply there. Tatsuki recovered just in time, pulling a pin-stake from her sleeve when she saw a vampire begin to drink from the DJ. A quick flick of the wrist created a stunned and frightened silence until someone else began to scream.

The slayer looked around herself to see yet more vampires coming into the club. But none was more shocking than Chizuru standing on stage with Orihime. She could hear Ryo's strangled cry amongst the screams still echoing through the club.

"You should really keep a better eye on your surroundings," the vampire grinned. The gripped Orihime's hair tighter, forcing the redhead to bare her neck. Her fearful eyes were flitting back and forth between Ichigo and Tatsuki. "You never know who might be...watching."

"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not interested in putting on a show for you." Tatsuki pulled her new stake from beneath her skirt, ignoring the scent of blood that came from behind her. "I'm perfectly willing to dance though."

"Ooh, tempting, but I've just never been that into you," Chizuru laughed.

The rest of the vampires came in a rush, Ryo and Keigo taking two one together while Mizuiro broke a pool cue over the head of one before ramming the weapon into it's heart. Tatsuki was quick to flip over Ichigo and land her new toy into yet another vampire's heart. Only for a moment did she remain on the dance floor, she used her momentum to launch herself onto the stage, aiming directly for Chizuru and her hostage. As predicted, the vampire tossed Orihime to the side and joined in the fight. There wasn't a single vampire yet willing to pass on a fight with a slayer.

Of course, Chizuru had never been much of a fighter. She'd always been very dirty though, so when she pulled out the knife, Tatsuki was barely surprised.

"What are you going to do with that?" Tatsuki asked, twirling her stake. "Hurt yourself?"

"Nope," Chizuru grinned. She slashed out with the knife, not towards Tatsuki, but towards a rope by her side.

The slayer just dodged the falling sandbag as Chizuru fled the club, taking what few lackys she had left with her. One in particular was holding something curved and metal.

"Son of a..." Tatsuki slung her stake at the retreating vampire, running towards him as the object flew. It was a dive to catch both stake and the iron curve, and if not for the scandalous armor she wore, she'd have ended up with some serious roadrash. "I think I like this stuff."

The slayer pushed herself to her knees, inspecting the iron scrap as she tucked her stake back where it belonged. The heavy iron curve was tucked into her waistband and the slayer turned to see what was left after the fight. The club was empty save for the people Tatsuki knew and the unconscious DJ. Ichigo was wiping his nose and judging by the dust and red splatter on his form, he'd possibly taken out a few out his own vampires.

"How many?" Tatsuki asked as she pushed herself fully upright.

"We got three," Ryo answered as she dusted herself off. Keigo was trying to help, though he only seemed to make things worse with her blood smudged hands. "Quit touching me."

"I got two," Mizuiro laughed. He was covered in the bloody goo left behind by a true newborn.

"I managed to get two," Ichigo commented. "It was stickier than last time."

"These were newborns," Tatsuki waved it off before pulling the iron curve out and inspecting it. Something was special about this hunk of metal, something worthy of a vampire's attention and the careless waste of minions against a group of demon and ghost hunters. It looked a little bit like the handle of to the ladies room. Urahara must have been looking for this when he brought it to her attention.

"Got something dangerous?" Ryo asked, flinging a wad of newborn at Keigo.

"What?" The slayer turned to see nearly everyone was staring at her. Ichigo was standing right beside her Not so close as they had been while dancing, but the distance now seemed less than it had on the dancefloor. Orihime was trying to move closer, shaken by the events and desperately seeking some sort of answer from anyone who might speak to her.

"It's uhm...it's way past bedtime," Tatsuki stood up slowly and began to back up. "I think I'm going to head home and grab a shower. Plus, you know, the test tomorrow..."

Tatsuki ran.

~!~

~!~!~

~!~!~!~

I'm not entirely happy with the ending, but it will be closed/resolved in the next chapter.

Orihime and Ryo go way back. As in Kindergarten and growing up next door to one another. They've never particularly liked one another, and while Orihime had Sora to take her away from everything, Ryo was forced to stay and protect her siblings. Ryo feels both jealous and annoyed by Orihime, though more recently she is just annoyed.

As for our power couple, there's five more chapters before everything comes out. And I do mean Everything.


	12. Surprise part 2

I figured out why the chapter felt unfinished, lol, I forgot to add the ending.

~!~!~

Tatsuki yawned as she walked into her room in little more than sleep shorts and a tank top. Fresh from the shower with clean hair and warm skin, the slayer was looking forward to the bed waiting for her across the room. Her tenshi were finally asleep, even mizuiro, and her mother was going to be there in the morning. Faith was somewhere doing something and Orihime didn't seem likely to approach her anytime soon. The slayer threw her towel across the vanity before the light off and heading back to her bed.

"Jesus Christ!" She shouted.

There in her window was one Ichigo Kurosaki, still in his clothes from the nightclub and holding a box. He was holding tight to the branch and the sill both, looking just like he did the last time he climbed her bedroom tree. Tatsuki knelt on her bed and opened the window, careful not to push Ichigo off of the branch as she did so.

"What the hell are you doing?" She hissed. She half expected him to try and climb in through her window, but instead he handed her a box.

"I forgot to wrap it up before I left. My dad was supposed to deliver it just in case..." Ichigo shifted to jump down from his perch, still looking at her with an unreadable expression. "I should let you get back to sleep."

The teen started climbing down from the tree.

"Ichigo," she called when he was halfway down. "Thanks, for helping us tonight."

Th teen smiled at her before hopping down completely and walking into the night. When the darkness had swallowed his form entirely, Tatsuki looked at the brown box in her lap. No, it wasn't wrapped, but he'd at least done something. More than just something, he'd set it up that she'd receive it even if he couldn't give it to her in person. Looking down at the thing, she knew he was lying. He'd wrapped it up, there were bits of wrapping paper and tape stuck to it. Ichigo had unwrapped it since his return to pull something out and put something else in. Possibly both.

The slayer shut her bedroom window and sat on the bed to open the box.

"That bastard," she breathed out. Anger and pain were both summoned by the contents of the box. Her heart clenched even as her mouth cursed him.

Tatsuki lifted a bag of cotton candy from the box, the only flavor she'd ever eat from the only vendor she would ever buy it from. He must have gone to the man's house to get it; it was only sold during festivals. She couldn't imagine what he must have done to get it. The spun sugar wasn't what was making her cry though. It was the gift below it. A cropped leather jacket in dark crimson leather was folded neatly at the bottom. The smell and feel of him came off of the thing in waves and as she ran her fingers over the lining, she figured out why. Black silk was neither earthly nor spiritual, but a blend of the two. Ichigo's energy, harsher and darker than she typically knew it, was set into the leather and the lining, standing guard between her and the world.

"Bastard," she repeated as tears fell down her face.

The slayer held the jacket tighter as hope and sorrow battled in her heart.


	13. Flavor

Favorite Flavor

~!~!~

Chocolate – Late Valentine's day chapter

Tatsuki looked at the chocolates in front of her. Cookie had been making them for the last week and a half, some at Ryo's request, others at Mai's behest, and still more for the simple fun of it. Tatsuki was watching as the woman tempered the chocolate, heating it just right before pouring it into the molds Tatsuki had readied for her.

"So, am I making some for the Kurosaki boy this year?" Cookie asked as she set the trays into the fridge. "He likes chocolate, doesn't he?"

"Yeah," Tatsuki nodded. "He does."

Ichigo was chocolate. On the outside he was rough and untouchable, there was something that drew you in though. Maybe it was the bitterness that existed inside of him, countered by an unexpected sweetness. The earthy, seductive scent that promised satisfaction and adventure made the slayer rise up with a craving she could never quite satisfy. A craving to just be near him. All her life she's craved him, sought him out when she was upset or confused. He's always been there too, even when nature has taken over or the slayer is biting back, he's just there, reminding her that things will be better.

"There you go." Cookie handed her a small box tied with a ribbon. "Now you can put them in his locker tomorrow morning."

Tatsuki blinked in surprise as she realized that she would be giving Ichigo chocolates for Valentine's Day. She hadn't done that since Middle school.

Ryo kept smirking at her the next morning as they walked to school. First she'd teased Tatsuki about wearing the jacket on patrol, then she'd teased Tatsuki about the dance Chizuru had interrupted. Now she was just smirking. Of course,s he couldn't really say anything when Ichigo and Orihime were walking behind them.

"So, what did the candy man say about the mysterious handle to the girls room?" Mizuiro asked. It was the first any of the Tenshi had said that morning.

"I'm not going to tell him I have it," Tatsuki answered. "The less people who know about it the better. And anything a vampire wants does Not belong in the hands of a weirdo ghost scientist. I'm already kind of nervous about the lack of action these last few weeks."

"I mentioned it to Hiten," Ryo confessed at a stop light. The cars were rushing past and Ichigo's group had joined them completely. "HE thinks he' remembers something, but it's hard to get him to talk about something other than me."

Tatsuki laughed at her friends predicament before realizing what it could mean. Ryo was dating a mage with strange bouts of anger and a demon lord was falling madly in love with her for no particular reason. Things could get ugly quick should Hiten escape or Keigo gain a stronger grasp on his magic, or if either boy found out Ryo asked the cook to make chocolates for both of them.

Speaking of ugly quick, Valentine's day had hit Karakura High with a vengeance. Girls were clamoring to get to lockers and boys were staring hungrily at the scene. Watching the borderline desperation and jealousy between their classmates. A fairly large group of girls were arguing in front of Ishida's locker while something of a standoff was happening in front of Mizuiro's. Tatsuki wasn't even going to pretend to casually walk past anyone's locker this afternoon. Especially when it was a struggle just to get through the banks of metal and wood.

"Nothing to give this year?"

Tatsuki looked to see Chad standing much closer than she was altogether comfortable with. The slayer backed up and looked him in the eye. Nothing tricky, nothing annoyed, just plain curiosity.

"I haven't given chocolates to a boy since I was in middle school." Tatsuki adjusted her bag and looked back at the chocolatey frenzy that was going on by the lockers. Ryo handed hers to Keigo directly while Mizuiro just sort of ignored the girls seeking his attention. Ishida...wasn't a very nice person.

"I wonder if Ichigo will finally get what he's been waiting for." Chad was still watching the chaos going on by the lockers. "Even though his locker is full every year, he's always disappointed."

"I'd sooner eat glass than go into that mess for some idiot boy," Tatsuki snorted as Ryo and the rest of the Tenshi pushed through. "See you later."

~!~

Strawberry

~!~

The Tenshi were surprisingly clean considering the night's activities. A number of she-vamps were kidnapping citizens to present to their fanged lovers while no few ghosts and minor demons were having a joyous time feeding off of the sexual energy of mortals. Two hours of slaying seemed to have quelled most of them, but the Tenshi had run into an entirely new problem.

"How does an entire town run out of chocolate in a single day?" Ryo was looking through the aisles in search of some sort of snack.

"I don't know," Tatsuki grumbled. They were in the only open convenience store (Kitsune-san had stayed in this night) seeking out some sort of late night snack. Everything in the store seemed to be strawberry flavored. Nothing chocolate or vanilla, no lemon or melon or orange, just stupid strawberry. "Mizu, is there any chocolate milk over there?"

"Nope, plenty of strawberry and plain though, oh, and litchee." The boy answered before grabbing something from within the coolers. "Are there any donuts left?"

"Not a one," Ryo snorted. "Didn't you have some in your backpack Tsuki-chan"

"Didn't you have some in yours?" Tatsuki challenged. She tossed the package of strawberry candies back onto the shelf and patted her jacket down for her wallet. Ichigo's gift was surprisingly warm and had more pockets than she'd expected. Plus it cleaned off easier than her other clothes; it wasn't because it felt like the berry-headed fool and made her feel safe. It was just practical.

"I did, but Keigo decided to accept three other girls' chocolates too. So I gave them to Hiten and...well, he's not sharing." Ryo let out a soft laugh when a muffled voice came through from her bag. Tatsuki could only roll her eyes at Hiten's confirmation at refusing to share his Raindrop.

"I assume you gave the chocolates to the same dashing young man who gave you that jacket?" Mizuiro asked as he walked up to the counter with his snacks. The door of the market let out several dings as someone entered. "You at least left your name, right?"

"Shut up," Tatsuki hissed, picking a bag of crisps from the shelf.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," the boy continued as he paid the clerk.

"Shut up," Ryo elbowed him.

"Why? If Tatsuki wants to hunt the undead and-"

"I think they want you to shut up."

Mizuiro turned to see Ichigo standing behind him.

"Probably, but I still speak the truth." Mizuiro finished paying. "So, how many girls had their hearts crushed when you emptied your locker after school?"

Tatsuki studiously ignored the discussion going on between the two boys as she filled a slurpee cup with berry flavored goop. Ryo stood beside her, drinking and refilling her own cup as the boys talked about the madness of the day. Tatsuki could feel Ichigo looking at her as he talked with Mizuiro. More than just at her when she saw his reflection in the quik-mart security mirrors. He was looking her up and down, admiring, smiling faintly in that way he always did.

"You're almost as red as your drink," Ryo laughed beside her. "Dare I say, strawberry colored."

"Shut up," Tatsuki mumbled, trying not to smile too much. "He's a boy and I'm not wearing that much."

"It's what you _are_ wearing Tsuki." Ryo refilled her cup. "I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to apologize by the end of the week."

~!~

Vanilla

~!~

Arisawa Tatsuki was Vanilla. Pure and refined, the scent of her spirit could calm Ogichi and awaken the lust of something much deeper and wilder. The one thing all of him can agree on. He remembers the lingering scent of her perfume on his clothes, of warm skin beneath his fingertips and the pulsing beat of the club. She's intoxicating, but she's far more delicate than any girl he knows. Like an orchid, a forbidden flower he's afraid to crush, yet Ichigo wants nothing more than to bury himself in her scent. T

Ichigo touched his lips, smiling faintly as he remembered the single time he kissed her. Just once, in middle school, right after he opened his locker to find a package waiting for him. A vanilla flavored kiss was stolen that day; a vanilla flavored kiss was given the night he found her fighting vampires. She'd never admit it, and he'd never tell her he knew, but he awoke on that couch with the taste of vanilla on his lips.

The chocolates on his desk are a gift he never thought to receive, but he'd gladly give up chocolate forever just to taste vanilla once more.

~!~!~!~

~!~!~

~!~

Late, I know, but I've been busting my buns in school this semester, four six hour classes and a four hour computers class...I'm amazed I'm alive. The next chapter is more serious, perhaps even scary, and Ichigo gets a spot on the Tenshi Team. A very important spot, you know, relatively speaking, lol!


	14. Smile

To the Lovely Miss Dark Queen Helba, the first person who added T:VS to their alert list, I really must thank you. Three years is a long time to wait, and I hope you've been enjoying it. Even if you haven't left a review...

~!~

Smile

~!~

The school yard was nearly always in a state of disarray before school. Tatsuki was rather used to pushing her way through crowds of people and dodging her admirers. She had become accustomed to avoiding Ichigo and trying very hard not to blatantly ignore Orihime. The slayer was so used to a chaotic school yard that seeing such a calm and dour group of people was down right unsettling. Especially when the teachers were guiding people not inside of the building, but over into the gym. Police cars were parked just outside of the gates and when one or two kids tried to run off, an officer was quick to bring them back. One of the officers was familiar to the tenshi, scowling at everyone and everything until he saw them.

"Good morning Zenigata," Tatsuki bowed to them man.

"I wish I could say the same Ojou," the officer grumbled. "You still taking those moonlit walks?"

"I took a week off. What's wrong?"

"Eh, get into the gym and you'll hear all about it. Just as I'm transferring out too."

"What? Why are you leaving?" Tatsuki adjusted the grip on her bag. That surprised Tatsuki more than the possible tragedy going on. Zenigata was leaving them. He couldn't leave them. "You're our favorite cop."

"It's true, you've never tried to arrest us," Ryo nodded.

"And you give us tips on where to hunt," Mizuiro pointed out. "What are we supposed to do without you?"

The gruff officer stiffened slightly at their words, blushing and sputtering. He'd been caught in a fang fight almost a month ago, not too long after Ichigo had come back, and after a good amount of sake and a meeting with Kitsune-san, he'd finally accepted the things that went bump in the night.

"You kids...you'll be fine without me. This new guy, Detective Kudo, he won't understand, so keep on your toes all right?" They all nodded. "And don't walk around alone right now, I mean it. There's a serial killer out there, human and out of your jurisdiction. Kudo's been on his ass for a good four years now, chased him here to Karakura."

"Does he have a name?" Keigo asked, setting his bag on the ground. "Or is Kudo just chasing a shadow?"

"The guy's name is Dr. Haibara. You Haibara."

Zenigata sat on the bench in front of the school gate. Tatsuki and Ryo joined him, one on the arm rest while the other leaned back to look at the street. Mizuiro was sitting on the ground in front of the officer and Keigo seemed to be attempting a handstand. Zenigata never seemed to mind it when the Tenshi cornered him or sat down for story time, in fact, he seemed to enjoy it.

"Guess he went of the deep end after his mother killed herself," Zenigata dug out a cigarette. "But anyone who would do That to their sister...guy like that was never right." He gave a look to both of the girls. "For a while he only hunted down girls, made it easy to warn kids...about a year ago he started killing boys too."

"How do we stay safe?" Tatsuki asked. "I mean, what is he looking for?"

"Someone like you for girls. Long hair, healthy, graceful. Tends to pick girls who're angry with their boyfriends or crushing real heavy on someone. Kind of a surrogate for his sister. Apparently he grabs 'em off the street, drugs them and keeps 'em locked up for exactly one hundred hours or until Kudo gets too close." Zenigata looked at the boys before shaking his head. "Boys tend to follow the same route in looks, but nothing real concrete in terms of personality. Kudo says the guy might be expanding his horizons or trying to punish himself..."

"And you?" Ryo asked.

"I think he's cursed." Zenigata put his cigarette out and tossed the butt into a nearby trashcan. "A killer doesn't just change his target like that, doesn't even kill them the same way. Girls, they get their faces crushed, boys get them slashed up from ear to ear..." Zenigata seemed to realize whom he was talking to as the students in the gym started filing out. "Oh, damn you kids...get to class and don't go out alone, go it?"

"Yes sir," Tatsuki grinned. "But promise you won't go out unarmed either."

"Yeah," Zenigata waved them off. "I'll keep a cross and holy water. Now git!"

~!~

The tenshi were hardly surprised when the school locked it's gates during school hours. Anyone without proper identification was barred from entering, and if a student dared to try and go off campus alone, a red alert was sent out immediately. Tatsuki didn't doubt for a moment that parents would be waiting outside, and she certainly had no problem making a detour so the twiddles could be safely picked up. She did have a slight problem with Ichigo and his suddenly stalkerish behavior. It was like one action, one simple dance and a less than angry word made everything okay.

And for some reason Tatsuki couldn't figure out just yet, Orihime was doing the same thing, though she was painfully obvious about it. Barely hiding behind other students as she followed Ryo and Tatsuki around, Orihime kept trying to get Tatsuki's attention, always annoyed when Ryo noticed her first.

"You really need to explain what happened between you two," Tatsuki sighed as she sat beneath a tree with Ryo at lunch. "I mean it."

"Nothing happened," Ryo shrugged as she peeled an orange. "I just don't like her."

Tatsuki gave the girl a look before returning to her lunch. Cookie had turned the naruto into little cherry blossoms in honor of the season and the rice was a very nice shade of pink. The teachers had warned everyone to be on their toes at the cherry blossom festival this weekend, and while Tatsuki hadn't had any intention of even going, she had the feeling her mother was going to demand it later tonight.

"Ichigo just tried to get me to give you something," Keigo spoke around a mouthful of bread. He and Mizuiro were balancing their lunches in their arms as they came up to the girls. "So did Orihime."

"I told them no," Mizuiro smiled lightly. Tatsuki took some of his load as the boy began to seat himself. "Well, I told Orihime no. Ichigo kind of ran away before he even finished his question."

Tatsuki furrowed her brows at that, hoping and dreading the possible implications behind that.

"Who cares?" Ryo snorted. She held up the codex, revealing a very vivid and grotesque looking creature. "I looked into what Zenigata told us, or, didn't tell us, and I found something."

Tatsuki took the codex from her watcher, lunch set aside as she began to let herself enter the hunt. Doctor Haibara might not be in her jurisdiction, but a Kuchisuke-onna most certainly was. And even if she was wrong and there really was a second killer, she was the slayer, and she needed to investigate this. The Kuchisuke-onna was created when a human woman had been tortured by a loved one. Usually a very pretty and compassionate woman, the betrayal and violence twisted the life-force of the woman until she became a living Onryo.

"Certainly makes burning the bones easier," Tatuki passed the codex over. "All in one place, so I should just be able to behead and blaze."

"We only have to dodge the cops looking for sneaky behavior," Ryo scoffed. "Although, I guess as long as we stay together..."

"Actually, my sister wants me to come home," Keigo sighed. "If I'm not home by sunset she's going to call the cops and report me missing. Or kill me."

"My mother is getting scared too," Mizuiro confessed. "She wants me to come home until they catch this guy or he moves on."

"I guess that just leaves us," Ryo sighed. She was giving Keigo an odd look. Keigo's sister didn't like Ryo and there was every possibility she could be using this as an opportunity to split them apart. "Give or take a few spirit hunters."

"Take, please," Tatsuki grumbled as she lay back on the grass. She was certain Urahara had told them, and she didn't doubt the rest of the shinigami knew thanks to the old mountain man. It was a reverse of their situations. Finally they knew what it was like to find something out second hand while the person you cared for pushed you away.

Tatsuki sincerely hoped she could push those thoughts away while she hunted tonight. She hoped that Mizuiro might convince his mother he was going to stay behind and she hoped that Keigo and Ryo could work things out. The relationship had reached it's high long ago and now it was dying a very slow, painful death. At home, Keigo was so obsessed with learning magic that he'd forgotten no few dates and Ryo, sitting alone at some restaurant, had found a way to bring Hiten out of the mirror to keep her company. The recipe had been made and now the disaster dough was rising.

Miss Ochi's class was further proof that something was going to spill over soon. Sitting in Her desk, smiling wide, was Kuchiki Rukia. Tatsuki felt the forgiveness and compassion inside of her wither away at the other girl's very presence. Though she wasn't and hadn't been a girl for a long time now.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Tatsuki grumbled as she walked further into the classroom. She didn't try to keep her tone pleasant, the sound of Orihime's excitement and the intake of Ichigo's breath made the slayer Very angry. "Oi, out of my seat."

"Arisawa, I see-"

"Out, of my, seat," Tatsuki repeated. "Please."

The shinigami rose from the desk, grabbing her bag and moving to sit on the other side of Ichigo's normal space. Fine. Let the two gasping spirit idiots sit next to each other and whisper and snort all the day long, see if she cared.

She didn't.

At all.

"Not one bit," Tatsuki whispered to herself.

The slayer studiously ignored everything outside of the introductory lesson on Calculus. Numbers were tricky enough to distract her from everything outside of the sheet of paper in front of her. Even the Kuchisuke-onna was a minor detail compared to the problems in front of her. It wasn't until class ended that Tatsuki stopped focusing on the work in front of her, pulled from her musings by the the image of a thunder demon sticking his tongue out at her.

"You're certainly cloudy," Ryo moved the mirror away to sit on Tatsuki's desk. "I don't suppose this has something to do with a certain shinigami?"

"I don't care," Tatsuki looked back at her paper. "At least, not enough to talk about it during school."

Ryo nodded, changing the subject to what they were going to wear at the festival this weekend. One way or another, Tatsuki was going to end up in a furisode; the only variable was whether or not Mai decided to put her in Onmyoji robes as well.

"I'd certainly like to see that. All painted up and blessing people," Ryo laughed at the idea of it.

"I think I'd sooner face Doctor Haibara," Tatsuki snorted. "Besides, mom has been salivating over the very idea of me dressed like a lady since my birthday."

"Everyone loves a lady," Ryo snorted. She looked over at the scene a few desks over; Orihime and Rukia were giggling over something while the rest of their ghost hunting gang smiled and laughed with one another. "You'd think she might realize whats going on around her, being so old."

"Not if her mind is slipping," Tatsuki couldn't help but snort. She didn't like being catty, and she really didn't like insulting people, but right now she couldn't help it. Not after everything finally seemed to have been moving in the right direction. "Maybe she forgot why she came here."

Tatsuki forgot entirely about her annoyance with the soul hunters once school was over. Yukimura had called her back as per usual, pleading that Tatsuki take some time off until Haibara was caught or he skipped town. Vampires might even catch him if she let up on the slaying. That she could be so lucky. No, Tatsuki was going to get her twiddles and walk them home, then she, Ryo, and Hiten were going on patrol. Yukimura was barely satisfied with the answer and it was only because her fiance's appearance that she left the whole thing alone.

Tatsuki let out a breath as she watched Karin's team run across the field. Yuzu sat beside her, studying a shojo manga inside of her math book, while Hiten and Ryo watched the game. The slayer hadn't seen Ryo looking so relaxed in ages and certainly not so happy looking. It was like watching a soccer game with Hiten had wiped away all of the stress that had built up with Keigo. It left the slayer in a tricky position but she really wasn't the best person to give relationship advice right now.

"Tsuki-nee, are you and Ryo going to stay for dinner?" Yuzu was looking at her with a good deal of concern.

"No, We are going to walk you home though. Then I'm going to do a quick patrol by Ichihana Park while Ryo and Hiten go check out the Hospital." Tatsuki jerked over when shouts came from the field. Just some parent getting mouthy with the ref. "No worries Yuzu. I'm a slayer, some crazy doctor won't be too much of an issue."

The slayer turned back to the game once Yuzu went back to her manga. Had she looked back, she might have seen Yuzu pick the slayer's phone from her pocket and send a text to Ichigo. Tsuki-nee was in danger and if he ever wanted Yuzu to talk to him again, he would do his job and keep her safe. When Ichigo didn't respond right away, Yuzu began to worry. The game was nearly over and Tsuki-nee was going to notice her missing phone before long. Finally Ichigo responded. He was on his way to the field.

Yuzu erased the conversation and slipped the phone back into Tatsuki's jacket pocket. Her work was done for now.

Ichigo almost jumped for joy when he noticed a text from Tatsuki on his phone, he'd even turned away from the briefing Rukia was giving them about a spiritual disturbance here in Karakura. But it hadn't been from Tatsuki at all. Oh no. On the trip to Sugisawa his sister had found her teeth. And boy could Yuzu bite hard. Twice she'd withheld dinner and four times she'd stopped talking to Ichigo and Isshin over something. Her threat wasn't needed this time. In fact, he'd been prepared to join his saiai's patrol tonight whether she liked it or not.

"Ichigo!" He turned to see Rukia scowling at him. "What could possibly be more important than finding this disturbed spirit?"

"Making sure Tatsuki doesn't get kidnapped by a serial killer," Ichigo answered easily. "I'll keep an eye out for this thing while We're patrolling tonight."

"Tatsuki is letting you patrol with her?" Orihime asked, looking hopeful and sad at once. Ichigo felt for her, it wasn't easy letting her walk into dangerous situations all of the time.

"Well, not exactly," Ichigo grabbed his jacket. "But she will. I'll follow her even if she doesn't."

Ichigo left Urahara's back room, barely shouting at the shopkeeper when Urahara suggested he keep some protection in his wallet. Urahara had known of his feelings for Tatsuki since he was fifteen, back when everything had started and hunting ghosts was still fun. Urahara had seen it when no one else had and when the time came, Ichigo had begged the older man to make sure she was safe if the world began to fall.

"I'm going to get her back," Ichigo promised himself.

He made it in time to see the second half of the game, bumping into someone as he pushed his way to the bleachers. The man had disappeared before he could turn to apologize. Karin spotted him just as she ran back onto the field and the man he'd bumped into was thrown to the wind at her smile. He hadn't seen her smile that wide in a long time. Finding Tatsuki wasn't too hard, she and her friends were sitting in the middle of a very wide circle, Yuzu reading while Ryo leaned on someone who was Not Keigo. In fact, the man wasn't even human. The aura combined with the fangs sticking out of the man's mouth were a dead giveaway.

As surely as he noticed the demon, he noticed Tatsuki turn cold. Her stance shifted and she was very careful to look straight ahead at the field when he walked up. Ryo fixed him with a glare until he sat down beside his tricky little sister.

"Damn, you must have pissed them off." The demon had turned to look at him, smiling wide and showing off his fangs once more. "Hiten of the Raijinshuu tribe."

"Ichigo Kurosaki, part time Shinigami."

"Yeah, you smelled like one...damn things always messed up my stomach," Hiten turned back to the game as a goal was about to be made. All five of them let out a cheer as Karin scored, even Tatsuki managed to let go of her anger in favor of supporting Karin.

"What do you mean, a messed up stomach?" Ichigo asked.

"Demons eat spirits," Tatsuki snapped at him. "Why do you think Kuchiki never tried to hunt anything but hollows?"

Tatsuki turned back to the game while Hiten laughed riotously. The sheer venom with which Tatsuki spoke made him start. Shit, if he was going to follow her on patrol tonight then he needed to try a lot harder.

"I didn't even know about vampires until I saw you fighting them," Ichigo replied. He tried to sound humble and thankful all at once. She'd shown him a world much deeper than just ghost hunting.

"Speaking of," Hiten stood and pulled Ryo up. "My raindrop and I should probably get to the morgue, so you know, gotta change..." he gave Ryo a look. "Ya know?"

"Oh," Ryo glanced at hem. "Yeah, yeah, and there's a new body at the funeral home, so uh...We'll see you in the morning Tatsuki."

The two of them darted off and Ichigo realized Yuzu had gone down to sit by the field. It left only himself and Tatsuki, sitting high above the rest of the crowd in the afternoon sun.

Tatsuki just managed to keep from pushing Ichigo off of the bleachers during the last ten minutes of the game. Just. He'd started talking about how Kuchiki requested to come and investigate the vengeful spirit because apparently she thought it was her duty to take care of an Onryo. Her duty could go screw itself; everyone knew Onryo were demonic in nature otherwise they'd have become hollows. If she wasn't so pissed off about the ghost woman butting her head in she'd go right to Urahara and demand he send her home. The thought of Kuchki and Home made the slayer all the angrier.

She'd walked home with her twiddles, only marginally upset and focusing on Karin's victory more than the idiot walking beside her. Tatsuki slammed her stake into a vampire as she remembered what had happened once they Got to the Kurosaki house. Isshin had been crying tears of joy over having his children home all at once, his twins, his son and his choujo, and his newest beloved daughter. Rukia had popped out and waved and Karin pushed past her, scowling while Yuzu went around to the backside of the house. Tatsuki didn't even stay long enough to wave goodbye to Isshin. The way Ichigo and Rukia had looked at each other had just...

"Eat it asshole!" Tatsuki punched a vampire into a tree. The broken branch speared through the heart of the beast and ended her fight. That might have pissed her off more than anything. Her fight was over and the last three parks she'd hit up were now emptier than her bed. She'd welcome the chance to punch a serial killer in the face right now. Tatsuki slid her stake back into her sleeve and quickly adjusted her hair before walking in the general direction of Club Natsu. Ryo and Hiten had gone ahead at her urging; no doubt they had a table and a few drinks by now.

The sound of sirens and screams snapped her out of her rage fit as someone ran into her. Heavy and male and covered in blood. Tatsuki could taste it on her tongue the smell was so thick. She could feel the wetness seeping through her clothes and even deeper than that, she could feel something twisted and wrong. At the other end of the park a squadron of police officers were rushing towards her area. The man on top of her pushed himself off, gray eyes glinting at her before he ran.

"Hey! You there!"

The slayer turned and blinked at the officer running towards her. He was different than the rest of them, wearing a trench coat over a crisp blue suit. His eyes were sharp and there was a desperate determination in them.

"What are you doing here?" the man demanded.

"I, I was walking to Natsu," Tatsuki answered distractedly. "I've had a bad day...I just wanted to dance."

"Are you alright?" the detective asked, kneeling down to her level. "Did you heard anything while you were walking?"

"No," Tatsuki shook her head. "I was distracted. It's been a long day."

"Did you get a good look at the man who knocked you over?" The detective asked. "Did he hurt you at all?"

"No." Tatsuki stood shakily, grateful that the detective was helping her stand. "No he just got my clothes...I'm actually covered in blood, aren't I?"

"I'll have one of the boys drive you home," the man answered instead. "It's not safe for a young woman to be walking around alone at night."

"I think I'd like that," Tatsuki nodded. That man had been cursed by something strong. "That man...that was Dr. Haibara, wasn't it?"

"Don't you go to Karakura High?" Tatsuki nodded and the detective started guiding her back towards the cop cars. "I didn't see you during the safety meeting this morning." Tatsuki wondered briefly if he'd memorized every face in the school. "You stand out from the rest of your classmates with all of that hair. I'd have remembered you."

"Oh," Tatsuki realized. "Yeah, we were talking to Zenigata. He told us most of the important stuff."

"Most?" The detective waved an officer over. On their way to the curb a good many officer's had greeted her or waved. The man escorting her seemed downright annoyed by it.

"Yeah, he didn't tell us why he was leaving." Tatsuki smiled wanly as one of the officers opened the back of his squad car for her. Her mother had given him a charm a few years ago so he and his wife could have a baby. It seemed like something better to focus on while covered in blood. "How is Kenji?" she asked the officer.

"Talking up a storm Ojou," the man smiled. "All finished Detective Kudo?"

Kudo looked between the two of them before glancing around and back at Tatsuki. The typical warnings came with the look. Stay out of the park, stop going out alone, and when people rushed towards her at night she needed to run far and fast. She got one other warning though. Something she'd never been told before.

"I'm going to keep an eye on you. I saw Haibara tackle you...he might try to find you." Kudo made an odd face at her. "Like I said, you stick out."

Tatsuki considered that the entire ride home. She certainly never stuck out amongst her old friends. She'd always been Ichigo's schoolhood friend, Orihime's guardian, one of the many civilians to be protected in the fight against hollows. Never had she been Tatsuki the girl. Before this school year she had never thought she might gain anyone's attention. Then something had happened and her eyes had been opened to the fact that entire worlds were revolving around her life. Only people who stuck out got that much attention.

At this moment she was wishing she didn't stick out so much. Cops were watching her and a serial killer might be hunting her down for seeing him. Demons knew her on sight anymore and vampires sometimes sought her out for a challenge.

Maybe she should take some time off while Haibara was on the loose. She'd keep an eye on things, but without a partner to hunt with, vampires were getting a hall pass.

~!~

Tatsuki wasn't so keen on giving vampires a hall pass as it turned out.

The slayer jumped the fence leading into the backyard of the Kurosaki Clinic, all too aware that the cops chasing after her were too close for comfort. They'd seen her stake three fangs in the park before giving chase; different cops than those who normally patrolled the area. She had the feeling they'd either come with Kudo, or Kudo had requested them as backup. Either way the slayer had been seen and she was now running to the last person she'd even think of asking for help.

Strangely, it was the first thought to enter her head.

"I've been here all night," Tatsuki shouted as she kicked her shoes off by the kitchen door. Yuzu was quick to take them to the laundry room while Karin set another place at the table. A sixth setting was the least of Tatsuki's worries right now. Indeed, she was ducking under Ichigo to throw her coat onto the rack beside the rest of the family's.

"What happened?" he asked, watching a she removed the enchanted hairclip. Her hair seemed to explode in a mass of black smoke before settling down on her shoulders. His eyes flickered oddly as he looked at her, though she chose not to notice.

"I was spotted staking a couple of fledglings," Tatsuki grumbled as she spit out some few hairs. "Kudo's been keeping an eye on me since Haibara knocked me over on Monday."

"What?" Ichigo very nearly shouted at her confession.

"I was doing patrol, I started for Club Natsu, Haibara tackled me after dumping a body," Tatsuki brushed it off. She had almost convinced herself it was a casual and meaningless thing. She didn't like the looks everyone kept giving her and she certainly didn't like the lines forming on Ichigo's brow.

The door buzzed before he could start anything. He shouted to the front door, handing Tatsuki the paddle to the playstation. She'd interrupted his game when she burst in...he was losing anyway. She unpaused it as Ichigo answered the door, falling into the gameplay as easily as Ichigo played the role of punk kid. Kudo's voice came across the air, asking to come in. Mr. Kurosaki was out right now, but he'd be back later.

"Actually I wanted to ask you about the young lady on your couch," Kudo clarified, stepping slightly closer tot he front door.

"My girlfriends been here all day," Ichigo responded easily. "She's been kicking my ass too."

"Only because you suck at this game," Tatsuki laughed and paused the game. She turned to face those at the door, pretending the shock on her face had to do with detective Kudo's appearance instead of Ichigo's words. "Detective? You don't look so good."

"We've been chasing a suspicious woman," Kudo came inside of the house. Even if he was odd, he wasn't a vampire it seemed. Ichigo was less than pleased at the man's entry. "We saw her run this way and hop the fence."

"Really?" Ichigo asked. "That thing's like, seven feet tall."

"Be that as it may," Kudo continued. "We saw a woman matching Miss Arisawa's build climb the fence after...assaulting several people."

"Well you're welcome to take my picture so they can help identify the attacker," Tatsuki leaned against the back of the couch. Kudo started shifting uncomfortably at the truth of the matter. He couldn't compare her picture because they were piles of dust now. "But I've been here all day."

Footsteps came down the stairs and Tatsuki closed her eyes slowly, knowing exactly who was coming to ruin everything. Sure enough, Kuchiki popped her head in, smiling kindly at her. Why in the hell was Kuchiki looking at her?

"It's all ready upstairs," she smiled, coming down the stairs the rest of the way. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" She pretended to notice the cop standing in the hall. "Oh, are you here about Kurosaki-san's missing bracelet?"

"No miss,"Kudo pursed his lips. "We're here investigating assault charges."

"We've been in all night," Ichigo repeated, crossing his arms. "Unless you have solid proof, I'm going to ask you to leave."

The detective bid them a curt farewell before leaving the house. Five minutes later he got in the car. Two after that he drove away. The slayer peeked out of the window, careful not to expose herself or move the curtains. Kudo was at the end of the street, watching the door for her exit no doubt. The slayer let out a grumble as she turned away, coming nose to chest with Ichigo.

"What do you mean, Haibara tackled you?" Ichigo nearly shouted. He was scowling down at her with anger as he leaned on the back of the couch.

"I mean exactly what I said," Tatsuki ducked away. Kuchiki was standing by the stairs with crossed arms and a concerned look. "Now Kudo thinks he's going to try and hunt me down."

"You look almost exactly like his sister," Kuchiki spoke up. "All of his victims bore a very strong resemblance, but none of them looked as close as you do."

"I'm so sure. A dark haired, skinny, school girl in Japan? Impossible...Yuzu!" The slayer walked into the kitchen, leaving the other two behind. "Sweetie, where's the phone? I need to call the car."

"Right here nee-san!" Yuzu hurried over with it. "Are you really leaving so soon? Dinner is ready."

"No," Tatsuki smiled at the younger girl. The younger girl was impossible to resist sometimes. "But I'm going to have him come around once it's over."

"You can't leave right after!" Karin's shout came from behind her.

Tatsuki soon found herself sitting at the kitchen table while the twins took the entirety of her attention. It was easy to pretend that the next room over was empty and a serial killer wasn't going to try and hunt her down. Isshin's arrival from the clinic distracted her even more as he wept over the arrival of his eldest and most honorable daughter. He was weeping for her safety, and when he found out how she'd arrived at his home, he'd grown quietly angry.

"Tsuki-chan, this isn't like fighting some demon," Isshin scolded her as Yuzu called everyone to dinner. "It's a human man with a fetish for ladies like you."

"This is exactly like hunting a demon because he's being followed by one." Tatsuki started serving rice to everyone, accepting bowls without looking at who handed them to her. "Besides, when I ran into him he seemed...he seemed like he had something inside of him."

"Like he was possessed?" Isshin asked.

"No, like he's part demon and it's starting to surface." Tatsuki shook her head. "But he's not the one I'm hunting down. Not yet at least." Tatsuki took a small bite as she thought about what to say, fully aware of the people staring at her. "We got a tip that he's being followed by something...his sister's soul demonized and took on corporeal form."

"What if it's possessing Miss Haibara's body?" Yuzu asked. "When Ryo let me read the codex, I saw that demons could posses dead bodies if they'd entered while the person was alive."

"If the soul was part demon she couldn't have been possessed," Tatsuki shook her head. "It's like a built-in safety. She did turn into a Kuchisuke-onna though."

"Where was Ryo when Kudo spotted you?" Karin asked. Karin and Ryo tended to be off and on in their friendship with one another.

Tatsuki held back a sigh. "She and Hiten are scoping out the East side of town. Ever since the boys got called home we've been stretched a little thin and with the cops trailing everyone it's been even harder to stay out of sight." Tatsuki ran a hand through her hair. "The only good part is that vampires don't seem to be as active recently. That makes it easier to focus on finding the Kuchisuke."

"I think you need to focus on eating Chojou," Isshin pushed more food onto her plate. "You're too thin."

The rest of dinner passed easily, laughter and smiles passing between the twins and Tatsuki. Isshin and Karin tended to hop in between them and the shinigami at the table, discussing ghost hunting and comparing days at the academy. As Yuzu began to clear the table, Tatsuki pulled out her phone and called the valet. Dinner was over and the slayer was too tired to try and go hunting again. As Yuzu came back for the last few dishes, Tatsuki planted a kiss on her hair before doing much the same to Karin. She even gave Isshin a hug and a hair kiss before bidding them a good night.

"I'll see you guys at the cherry blossom festival," Tatsuki smiled and went to the front door.

Ichigo walked up behind her as she pulled her shoes on. She was becoming more and more aware of his scent as time went on. Sitting next to him every day and walking beside him had that effect on a girl. He sat down on the front step beside her, looking at his hands as she zipped her boots up.

"Tsuki, I want to go on patrol with you."

Her hand stopped mid zip. He hadn't called her Tsuki since the fifth grade.

"I don't think Haibara will come close if you're with someone else, and if you're hunting a creature that preys on men, I could probably lure it out." Ichigo looked at her with what might have been the softest eyes he'd ever had. She was looking at a puppy dog, so she looked back at her shoes.

"You're volunteering to be bait boy?" Tatsuki asked. "What about Rukia and her hunt for the mystery ghost?"

"No, I'm begging." Ichigo had her coat in his lap, fingers running over the soft leather. "There's enough shinigami and spirit hunters in this town. There's only one of you. So I'm going to be...bait boy if you'll let me."

Tatsuki stood up as the family car pulled in front of the house. Ichigo followed her to the front gate, glancing down the street to where they knew detective Kudo lay in wait. He wasn't even hiding his car. If it hadn't been for Ichigo's attitude and his unquestioning trust...

"You were pretty helpful when the cops came by earlier," she admitted. "If I agree to let you tag along, _If_, you listen to everything I say."

"Everything," Ichigo nodded.

"No questions," she took her coat. "I mean it. If I tell you to do something you do it."

"Of course."

Tatsuki slid the coat on and looked at him once more. "You can walk me to the park tomorrow evening. We're going to a club after, so wear something suitable." She turned and walk to the car, annoyed when Ichigo grabbed her wrist. He leaned close to her, forehead touching her own and making her breath catch. His head tilted slightly to the left before he spoke.

"The cops are behind you," He spoke softly. "They'd think it was weird if you didn't kiss your 'boyfriend' goodbye."

"I'll see you tomorrow," Tatsuki breathed. She shifted her own head before backing away and walking to the back of the car. The driver was waiting with an open door and Ichigo was watching her as she climbed in.

~!~

Ichigo tried for the nth time to focus on their surroundings instead of the criminally short skirt Tatsuki was wearing next to him. Criminal. Her hair was drawn into a high tail, tickling her calves and making him wish he could hold tight to the black silk. He wasn't even sure she had a shirt on under the jacket he'd given her. He could feel it when she put the leather jacket on, when his energy came into contact with hers it was like lightening buzzed across his skin. She was cold this evening, hiding her words and feelings beneath a mask while she played thoughtless damsel with a cute boy. She looked and acted like a victim, luring out nest after nest of vampires with her costume. If he hadn't known her since childhood he would have been fooled.

"You should have gone into drama," Ichigo finally spoke up. They'd finished slaying a group of three and she was now dusting herself off. "You're pretty good at being scared and defenseless."

"I hate it," Tatsuki snorted, sliding her stake back into her jacket. "Pretending to be something I'm not just so I get noticed...it's a lot of bullshit."

"It's hard not to notice you," Ichigo tried to amend. "You've stood out since we were in elementary school. You're not like the other girls, you don't care about really girly things."

"So I've heard," she grit out, walking faster. The grip on her sword tightened as she moved and he could hear her breath catch. Dammit, that wasn't what he meant to say. He caught up once more to try and fix it only to find her breathing deeply and barely walking at all. Her hands were on her abdomen, eyes searching as the beast inside of her rose to the surface.

"Something's close," she grit out. "Not a vampire..."

Ichigo put a hand on her arm as she adjusted to the nearby demon. He was starting to feel it too, just a tickle along the back of his neck. It felt wrong. Different than a hollow or ghost.

"She's drawn to cocky bastards, so just act like normal," she breathed out. Standing fully, she slid her sword from it's sheathe and sank into the shadows.

"Just a cocky bastard," he grumbled quietly. "I'm not cocky, I'm confident..." except with Tatsuki. "I'm going to make things right with her. I need her."

The creature was coming closer to him, he could feel the tickle on his spine spreading across his ribs and down his arms to his fingertips. He heard something move in the trees above him and glanced up, immediately wishing he had a tissue. He shouldn't have looked up. Not that he hadn't liked what he saw, because he did, but how was he supposed to act like a cocky bastard when all he could think about was what he'd seen? He'd seen up Tatsuki's skirt. Bright red cloth had disappeared from view and the glimmer of a hunting beast convinced Ichigo that his hollow hadn't disappeared at all.

The tingle of the demon ghost brought him out of the growing fantasy of Tatsuki and silk and leather. He could see something coming closer to him, drawn by confidence and lust from an attractive young man. He continued walking along, feeling his love moving in the trees above him as they came to intercept.

She wasn't a bad looking ghost, but she did look as though she'd gone through something terrible. Her hair was tangle and clumped together, caked with something unknown. Brown and white and red. Her clothes were torn and stained, held together by her own hands. Just as Tatsuki had, she wore a veil of innocence; the ghost was actually a victim. She was good at it too, good enough that he was starting to believe she wasn't even dangerous.

"Hey, are you okay miss?" Ichigo asked. He hurried his steps ever s slightly. "Miss?"

"I," she whispered. "Am I..."

"You need help?" he asked, kneeling down in front of her. "Hold on okay? I'll call someone."

She grabbed hold of his wrist.

"Am I pretty?"

For the first time, Ichigo saw her face. The shock of it took any words away from him. Her mouth had been slit from ear to ear, bones crushed and skin mottled from what Haibara had done to her. His own sister had suffered.

Tatsuki jumped down from the trees, slashing at the Kuhisuke-onna as she descended. The creature rolled to the side, hissing at the slayer and Ichigo both. Tatsuki darted after her just as quickly, leaving Ichigo sitting on the ground and watching them. The Kuchisuke's nails had turned to claws and sharp needle teeth had formed along the slashes on her face. She was just a little bit faster than Tatsuki, managing to dodge and duck as Tatsuki attacked her.

She couldn't keep doing this, not when the kuchisuke kept landing blows. All he had was a stake and a squirt gun...One of them had to work.

The Kuchisuke let out a high pitched wail as the holy water came into contact with her skin. She stumbled giving Tatsuki a chance to landed a blow, severing the woman's arm from her body. The flesh dissipated into reiki as it hit the ground and the kuchisuke screamed again before flitting away.

Police sirens and shouts could be heard now that she was gone.

"Son of a bitch," Tatsuki grumbled, starting to run. She tripped over Ichigo's still prone form, landing on him for the second time that night. The slayer was still in her eyes, still hungry for a fight. "Ichigo get up!"

"If we run they're going to chase us," Ichigo argued. "How loud can you scream?"

"What?" She cried.

"Don't kill me," he answered instead. He slid his hand up her thigh, cold fingertips brushing along lace. Sure enough, Tatsuki squealed as loud as the demon had. Her cheeks burned bright red in the night and her eyes widened when he shifted beneath her.

"Ichigo!" She shouted as he flipped them.

"Just trust me," he grit out. Ichigo quickly removed his shirt, tossing it behind him. Her skirt had hiked up around her hips and he forced himself to look her in the eyes. "Public indecency beats murder suspect doesn't it?"

Tatsuki was practically buzzing beneath him, furious and embarrassed with the slayer screaming behind her eyes. She started unzipping her jacket, proving that he'd been right earlier. Crimson silk was staring him in the face, caressing-

"Eyes forward," Tatsuki grabbed him by the ear.

"Sorry," He apologized, focusing on her face. "Sorry, I uhm..."

Thank god the cops arrived. Kudo and his squad came barreling into their little clearing, guns out and shouting as dogs went wild. Tatsuki let out another high pitched squeal and hurrying to cover her immodesty. Ichigo scrambled off of her, fully embarrassed by the whole situation and incredibly confused as to how his pants got unzipped. At least they weren't the only ones. Kudo had the decency to look away, shouting at them to hurry and get dressed even as he covered his nose and mouth.

"What a pervert," Ichigo grumbled from the back of the squad car.

"You're not blaming this on me," Tatsuki snapped. Since they'd been interrupted she'd only gotten angrier and more frustrated.

"I was talking about Kudo, he took off for about five minutes while we were..." Ichigo waved a cuffed hand. "He even had a blood smear under his nose."

"I noticed that," Tatsuki grinned. "I didn't hear him call anyone on his phone either."

The two of them sat in the back of the car a bit longer as they waited for their arresting officer to come out of the quik-stop. This was not how either of them expected to end the night; though they had expected a situation like this to happen at some point in their lives. The two of them in the back of a cop car had played in no few of their childhood plans, but they'd usually been arrested for robbing a bank or toppling a government or something equally dramatic. Public indecency was never once on the list.

"My mom is going to go crazy," Tatsuki laughed lightly. "The second I call her she's going to start going through charts, matchmaking, picking wedding dates..."

"Damn, my old man too..."

Tatsuki rubbed her wrist as the cook spoke with the officer who'd driven her home. Ichigo was still in the back seat, scowling at everything as he waited to get to the clinic. Tatsuki was hardly surprised at her mother's absence; back to Chicago before heading off to Haiti. Tatsuki walked back to the car while the adults continued talking about the shameful behavior of the younger generation.

"We can go to Ikaruga Lounge tomorrow," Tatsuki told him. She leaned into the car through the front passenger window. "Maybe we'll actually make it there."

"Whatever you want," Ichigo nodded.

She wanted to be back in the park with him above her. Doing whatever she wanted and confessing and begging. It was a dangerous thing taking him on patrol. The sooner they found that smiling bitch the sooner she could stop wanting to jump him mid patrol, regardless of their relationship status.

"I uhm...I'll see you," Tatsuki pushed herself from the car. The cop was coming back and she had to get inside before the cook decided to come and get her. The slayer could see Ryo standing by the door, smirking and waiting for the evening's story.

~!~

The walk to school was awkward.

Ryo was watching them with narrowed eyes. She'd gone onto watchdog duty last night after hearing the story. She was thrilled that Ichigo and Tatsuki had been in such an intimate position, yes, but she was also annoyed that it was only to avoid suspicion. So she walked between the two teens, much to Tatsuki's relief and Ichigo's frustration. Orihime was completely oblivious of course, squeezing herself next to Ichigo as they walked and speaking up just as Ichigo tried t say something. She was talking about spreading garlic paste on her windows right now.

"I think I might start washing with holy water too," Orihime smiled brightly. "Maybe I'll become blessed and so pure they won't want to bite me!"

"Luckily it does the opposite," Ryo snorted softly. Orihime hadn't heard the comment as she was attempting to convince Ichigo to take up the routine as well.

"Ryo," Tatsuki tried to hush her.

"What?" the runner asked quietly. "She's trying to convince him to bathe with her and after last night...I'm surprised at you."

"Why?" Tatsuki asked. Her tone was growing sharp. "He's not mine. Lust and love are two different things." The four of them were stopped at a crosswalk and while Tatsuki spoke, the other three listened. "I can want him, but I couldn't love a liar."

"Tatsuki-chan loves someone?" Orihime asked innocently.

The light changed and Tatsuki moved forward as her mind went back. Back to last night when emotions had run rampant and fantasies had intensified from a mere touch. Sitting in the back of the car and simply enjoying the company of a man she loved. Back to the moments she lay in bed, crying silently over what only seemed to dance just beyond her reach. She'd long stopped wishing things could go back to they way they'd been. There was no point and certainly nothing to be gained from it. She was weak before, thoughtless and abrasive, selfless to the point of pain too. She acted according to her station and her training and what people wanted her to be.

She was becoming her own creature now. Taking a stand against the things she disliked and taking what she wanted. For the most part.

The school gates were locked when they arrived. Bands of bright yellow tape blocked the school yard off from entry and police officers were turning students away.

"Is it bad I'm more annoyed that class is canceled?" Tatsuki asked Ryo.

"Hardly," Ryo grumbled.

"I'd finally completed my make-up work," Ichigo spoke absently beside Tatsuki. He'd dodged the Ryo barrier to stand on Tatsuki's other side. "All of it, ready to start fresh."

"I think you're still missing a few things," Ryo answered as Tatsuki turned on her heel and went back home. Ryo grabbed Ichigo's sleeve when he tried to walk away. The look she gave him was hard and judging. "Big assignments."

Ichigo took a deep breath before asking the one question that could make or break him. What should he do?

"Keep playing bait boy," Ryo let go of his sleeve. "Then, when you've proven you're not going to go gallivanting off with some ginger, charcoal, or teal haired floosie, tell her the truth." Ryo started to walk away before stopping. "Oh, and don't pull another stunt like last night. If she cries herself to sleep again, I'll make sure you go from bait boy to personal eunuch."

~!~

The front of Obake was where the whole mess started and that was exactly where Tatsuki ran to be safe. The shop was quiet and comforting. Her mother's magic was woven into the floorboards and the walls, lining the ceiling and shining in the glass. She needed her mother now. A girl friend said one thing and her male friends said another and the cook said many things. Her mother would know what to do, she simply had to know.

Detective Kudo walked in as she hung up. He was polite enough to wait until she'd gained control of her tears and wiped them away.

"Tough night?" he asked. He was somewhat softer in his tone than the last time she'd seen him.

"Tough school year. I assume you want to talk about what I was doing last night in the park?"

Kudo gave her a steady look before answering.

"You weren't expecting your boyfriend to do that last night, were you?"

"Far from it. We...he's been trying to make up. He left to visit some family around October, they were dying, and he said some things before he left." Tatsuki looked at her hands. "I'm a little worried a burned bridge can't be repaired. Sometimes I don't even want it to be rebuilt."

Kudo ran a hand through his hair, looking much younger than he normally did. He seemed too familiar with her situation, then again, everyone must have fallen in love at one point or other.

"Maybe. Then again, maybe he's scared that his words won't work. Maybe he's a man of action."

"Speaking is, by definition, an action," Tatsuki countered. "And if he's is a man of action, then I should hang my gloves up now."

"I assume you're speaking of miss Orihime?" Kudo asked. "She says you two used to be best friends before Kuneida came onto the scene. She also claims that you quit karate because of her."

Tatsuki couldn't help the near hysterical laugh that bubbled out of her over that on. Yes, because Tatsuki couldn't possibly make her own choices. Orihime had followed Ichigo's path to visit some dying aunt or other and Tatsuki had made a new friend. Simple as that. She'd quit karate because her teammates were dead and it hurt to go on without them. She told Kudo as much as an elderly woman walked in for some herbs.

"She hadn't come to my house in two years before she decided to throw a surprise party there last month." Tatsuki snorted as she handed a customer their change. "I am allowed to have other friends, I had plenty before I met her."

~!~

Tatsuki felt uneasy walking home that evening. She'd locked up while the sun was still in the sky, as many of the other businesses around her did, but she still felt nervous. Obake was in a fairly secluded part of Karakura; almost a twenty minute walk from the Arisawa home. Tatsuki usually took her time walking home, going over the sales in her head and thinking about what she needed to reorder; sage and salt from the dead sea. Sometimes she would run back to make a note of something like Kadowaki's new obsession with exorcism rites of the western world. Sometimes she'd just stay there because she wanted to be alone for a while. She desperately wanted to go home tonight. She didn't want to be alone.

Seeing the Kuchisuke-onna last night had spooked her. Haibara's sister _had_ borne an eerie resemblance to the slayer. The shape of her face and body were almost exact and while the other woman was taller, her hair was nearly the same length. The difference was the eyes. Haibara's sister had coal black eyes, deep and dark with pain and mystery.

Tatsuki's eyes were weird. They could never decide what color to be. One minute they were brown, the next they were a freaky maroon color and if nature was really messing with her they turned grayish lavender. That one usually popped up after a really good fight.

Tatsuki sped her steps up when she heard someone walking behind her. Far enough that she wouldn't really notice they were following her, but close enough that they couldn't just be taking the same route. Her slayer senses were starting to vibrate ever so slightly, not in a 'hey, demon!' kind of way, but in a more subtle, woman's intuition kind of way. It was when she heard the footsteps turn into a jog that she started running.

She didn't stop until she got into her own front yard and only when she reached the porch did she turn around to look. A man was a block up the street, leaning against a car as he caught his breath. It was Haibara. The way he looked at her made her skin prickle and her breath shake. The one thing she hadn't told anyone about last night was the feeling of someone watching her and Ichigo. Someone had been staring at her while she fought and she could feel rage even as she was brimming with lust for Ichigo.

Tatsuki walked into her home, locking the door tight behind her before she slid to the floor. She wasn't going out tonight. She couldn't. She really couldn't.

The slayer slowly removed her bag from her shoulder as she calmed herself. Slow deep breaths. Tonight, she would lock every door and every window and Midoriko was going right next to her on the bed. Right there. Tatsuki stood and began searching for her sword avoiding the windows and clenching her hands to keep them from shaking.

"Tatsuki?"

The slayer couldn't help the scream that came out of her mouth when Ryo called her name. Her friend had been at the top of the stairs, though now she was in front of Tatsuki, holding the slayer while she broke all over again. Tatsuki heard Ryo call the police, asking for detective Kudo because she had something to report about Haibara.

Tatsuki was sitting on the couch when Kudo arrived, escorted into the living room by the maid. He'd been looking around at the house in some amount of surprise and wonder until he saw Tatsuki. Then he turned into the hard nosed detective he was supposed to be. He took a seat across from the two girls in seconds, watching them closely until Tatsuki managed to steady her breathing.

"You saw Haibara?" Kudo asked.

"He followed me home," Tatsuki nodded. "From Obake."

"You didn't call your boyfriend to walk you home?" Kudo asked as he took notes.

"No, I've walked home a million times before. It's not that far from the house, I thought..." she thought being the slayer meant no more fear. "I saw a picture of her. Of the sister. I thought everyone was just being paranoid until I saw her."

Kudo reached into his jacket and pulled something out. A picture of the girl Tatsuki had seen last night while she was still a human girl.

"Her name was Sakuya." Kudo handed the photograph over to Ryo. Tatsuki wasn't touching the thing. "Nice girl, smart, athlete. From what we've found at the crime scenes, Haibara doesn't seem to understand that she's dead. He's also confused as to why she never carries to term."

Tatsuki looked up at that.

"Carries...you mean he..."

"Yeah. When Sakuya got engaged to Himuro, the other man in the photo, Haibara flew into a rage and disappeared. Sakuya went missing a few days later."

Tatsuki took the photo from Ryo and looked at it. Sakuya was smiling at the man who held her while her brother and Himuro both stared at her. Himura and Sakuya didn't seem to notice anything outside of themselves. They looked so happy.

"Where is Himuro now?" Tatsuki asked.

"He disappeared. Found him a few weeks later after a tip to dredge the pond." Kudo took the picture back from Tatsuki. "I'm going to start tailing you again. If you plan to go anywhere alone, I need you to call me before you leave."

"Are you using me as bait?" Tatsuki asked the detective.

"No, but I am taking advantage of your status." Kudo stood and took his coat from the arm of the couch. "Try not to go out alone Arisawa-san. I'll stop at your boyfriend's to let him know. Will you be okay here?"

"Yeah," Tatsuki nodded. "The valet and the cook are staying overnight and Ryo is right across the hall from me."

Kudo gave them a few more warnings as he left. They shouldn't be afraid to strike at the man. They should always keep their phones charged and on them. Obviously they needed to lock the doors when they left and got home every night. Ryo stood next to Tatsuki on the front porch, both of them watching as kudo's car pulled out and turned on Ichigo's street.

"Your boyfriend..." Ryo smirked at her. "You can't convince me you don't like the sound of that."

"Shut up," Tatsuki opened the front door. "I just expected him to cover me, but now Kudo thinks we're dating and there's a giant story to play along with."

"Well, I'm sure we're going to see him in a few minutes."

Ryo followed Tatsuki inside, locking the door behind herself. The living room was waiting and if Kurosaki planned to come and visit they were better off not getting invested in any sort of activity. They wouldn't be able to finish a television show and reading or doing anything that involved silence was just a strange idea. When a half hour passed without any sign of the orange haired teen, both of the girls started to feel anxious. Ryo kept flipping her phone over in her hands, glancing at windows and doors before turning the television on. Tatsuki was trying not to watch what was going on outside.

Whenever she would glance out she'd see a flash of something dark.

Something knocked on the window behind the television.

Something neither girl could see fully. Just a hand on the sill, mottled and feminine. A face was forming just beyond it, slit from ear to ear and staring at Tatsuki with dark eyes.

"Pretty sure this isn't normal," Tatsuki unsheathed Midoriko. Ryo had pulled the crossbow from it's resting place and now held her mirror at her side. When the slayer reached the window, she slowly and carefully opened it, sword in plain sight to the ghost girl.

"Tatsuki, doesn't she kill people?" Ryo trained her crossbow on the spirit that began entering the house. "Aren't we supposed to kill her?"

"Only boys, and i'm not getting that angry feeling off of her." Tatsuki closed the window after Sakuya entered. She locked it as well, not altogether trusting that Haibara wasn't outside. "Alright Sakuya, you need a pen and some paper?"

The ghost wavered in it's spot, hunched on the ground as she hid from the bright lights around her. One hand outstretched, leaving a crimson trail on the carpet. A single word was drawn out.

"Run," Tatsuki whispered as the ghost began to slink back to the window. "You're brother needs to be stopped. So do you."

The ghost shivered for a minute before she flickered outside to the edge of light and shadow. A single glance back showed the girls that she'd gone back into madness. A vengeful spirit once more. She could have flickered in and out of the house at any point but for a brief moment in time she'd been who she once was. A kind woman who only wanted to help others.

"I think Hiten and I are going to join you on the next patrol," Ryo finally said. "I'm not about to lose my best friend because some whackjob won't accept his sister is dead."

"Thank you Ryo," Tatsuki hugged her. "I mean it."

"So do I."

~!~

Ichigo sat patiently on the tree branch outside of Tatsuki's window, back to the glass and sword on his lap. Urahara said that too much time in spirit form might drain his remaining power, but in this form he could be an unseen guardian to Tatsuki. He heard her enter her room, gasping lightly when she saw him in the tree. He didn't turn to say good night, instead he watched the grounds below him. The hedges and the garden and the garage were quiet and dark in the soft night. He heard Tatsuki pull the drapes shut and the dancing of shadows behind him made him turn. The soft whump of clothing hitting the floor and the silhouette of a slayer unbound summoned the remains of his inner hollow. She was a treasure worthy of having Death as the guard to her tower.

The door locked and the light went out, leaving him to his vigil.

Tatsuki Awoke when she heard something crash outside. She heard someone shouting and when a gun fired she jumped from bed and out her door. Ryo came out just as the slayer did, tying her robe closed as she followed the slayer downstairs. The cook was waiting at the foot of the staircase, hair in curlers as she worried her nails and the valet stood at the foot of the stairs, stiff shouldered and serious. All of them were nervous, watching the doors and windows as chaos happened outside.

"Ojou..." The cook trailed off as something slammed against the front door.

"He's not going to risk it," Tatsuki shook her head. He'd be a fool to try and take her now with the cops just outside. The valet had moved in between herself and the door, scowling at the wood with each step he took. "Tamaki, get back."

"Sorry ojou," he apologized. He'd produced a gun from somewhere and held it out in front of him. "But this is the reason your mother hired me."

The sound of sirens faded slightly as they gave chase while the shouting of men followed suit. Several minutes passed before someone pounded on the door. Detective Kudo was calling for her, asking if she was alright and if he could come in. The valet went to the door, peeking out through the small glass window before opening it for the detective and several other officers. Kudo raised a brow as the valet adjusted his grip but didn't question it. Instead he focused on the women by the foot of the stairs.

"Miss Arisawa, I trust you're alright?"

"Shaken, I woke up when I heard the crash." Tatsuki adjusted her yukata as she spoke. "How close did he get?"

"I think you might want to leave town for a few days," Kudo told her instead. "Maybe visit a family member..."

"How close?" Tatsuki repeated.

He'd made it to the kitchen door before the crash happened. Somehow he'd slipped and fallen from the porch into the trashcans. Dressed all in black, Haibara had slipped past the cops and slinked through the garden. It surprised Kudo that the doctor had made such a rookie mistake; Tatsuki very nearly cried from fear. The kitchen was on the same side of the house as her bedroom, but at the other end. If he'd landed in the trashcans...Tatsuki sank to the bottom step as fear started to wash over her. If Ichigo hadn't been watching her house Haibara would have taken her.

"Do you have some place you can go?" Kudo asked from above her.

"The family home," the cook answered for her. "We can head there...it might make it easier to catch him in a place like that."

"Twenty minute drive from the center of the village to the Manor," Tamaki agreed, finally coming away from the front door to stand near them. "About three hours if you walk on foot."

Kudo seemed to think for a moment while Tatsuki focused on breathing. How could she run with the kuchisuke? How could she not?

"Arisawa Tatsuki, I'd like to place some of my officer's in your family home in hopes of capturing Dr. You Haibara."

They would make no secret of her retreat to Arisawa Manor. She would go to each and every teacher to request a week's worth of homework. She'd close down Obake and tell her neighbors she was leaving for a while. She needed to put a note on her front door and the cook and the valet weren't to make it a secret. Halfway through he was stopped by Ryo. They didn't need to do that, in fact, no one needed to say anything at all.

"I can just put it on the website," Ryo held up her phone. "Everyone who goes there will know in a few hours. If Haibara looked into her at all then he probably visits regularly."

Kudo blinked at the device in her hands before letting out a sigh. Things weren't changing though. She was going to go out to the family home and stay there until Haibara fell into the trap. She'd have at least two officers, as well as Kudo himself in her home at all times and if she brought anyone he needed to know before the end of the week. Cook and Tamaki took over the conversation then, very politly informing Kudo fo the rules of the Arisawa family. Rules that needed to be adhered to lest he offend the family. Tatsuki turned and went back upstairs, Ryo beside her as she logged in to the fansite and posted information about the trip.

Ichigo was sitting on the edge of her window, scowling at the night air as his sword suffered from a stranglehold.

"I didn't get him," Ichigo scowled. "He got away when the cops came."

"Thank you." Her voice was a bit stronger than w himper, hushed and shaking. "How did he...what happened?"

"He snuck between the cops while they were patrolling. I was coming back around from the front of the house when I saw him trying to climb the tree." Ichigo glanced over at her, brows knit tight. "I think he's realizing he's part demon now. He's faster than a normal human, stronger too."

Tatsuki nodded shakily as she sat down upon her bed.

"Kudo wants me to go to Sugisawa. Sakuya will probably follow him over and I need to take her out."

"I'll pack a bag. You can't catch her without bait, right?"

~!~

She couldn't believe she was missing the Karakura Cherry Blossom Festival to go sit in Sugisawa Temple, waiting for a serial killer to come and kidnap her. A killer she'd seen climb on board the train as she and her surprisingly large posse did much the same. Keigo and Mizuiro had been allowed to come with, all but shoved out of the city by their respective families, and Kuchki seemed to think she had every right to tag along with Ichigo. Ichigo who had been joined by his entire posse and kept glancing in at her through the window of her compartment. That annoyed her nearly as much as Kudo coming in to check on her every twenty minutes. It could have been worse, of course, she could have been housing everyone who tagged along.

"You okay?" Mizuiro asked as they waited for their bags. "You haven't said anything since we climbed on the train."

"I'm adjusting," Tatsuki admitted. "I don't like being helpless. I never have."

She watched as Tamaki helped the gardener load their bags into the truck he had driven to the station. Old Kenta the butler had come down in the nicer car, handing the keys over to Tamaki before he came to stand beside Tatsuki. He was silently waiting for any instructions or whims of the young mistress, as he always had and always would. At the moment he was holding an umbrella for her to keep the light drizzle off of her form; her friends were stuck holding their own.

"Kenta-jii," Tatsuki turned to him. "Is the atrium prepared for the viewing party?"

"It is Ojou," Kenta nodded. "Likewise, a young mister Shinichi has informed me of the circumstances of your arrival this evening."

"Shinichi?" Tatsuki questioned.

"Hm, I believe he's changing in the men's room."

The slayer turned to see Kudo coming out of the bathroom in a rather flattering pair of hakama and a navy haori. He was actually kind of cute as he adjusted to the formal clothing. Tatsuki hid a giggle when he spotted them and blushed. Keigo and Mizuiro had changed on the way over while Tatsuki and Ryo hadn't even worn their street clothes tot he station. The boys were dressed simply in deep green and soft blue yukata combined with brown and dark blue hakama respectively. Ryo had adorned herself in the same demure kimono she'd worn the last time they came while Tatsuki found herself adhering to the strict rules her family had been enforcing for centuries. At least five layers were wrapped about her frame, silk and linen and cotton all wrapped inside of one another while the slayer held them off of the ground.

"Please tell him that we're heading to the main house," Tatsuki told Kenta as she made her way to the car. "If any others follow, let me know at once." 

"Of course," Old Kenta nodded. "I will be right behind you Ojou. And welcome home."

Tatsuki studiously ignored the looks she was getting from Ichigo's posse. They had a room in Sugisawa's only inn, courtesy of Soul Society as they investigated the strange goings on. Uh-huh, sure. The Old Mountain Man was trying to get her on his side and she knew it. He might have more luck if he sent someone other than Kuchiki. The slayer looked at Ichigo, not altogether unimpressed with what he was wearing. In fact, she rather liked the way the coal haori hung on his shoulders, covering the dark gray men's kimono he wore beneath.

"Ojou," Tamaki held the door open.

Tatsuki tore her gaze from Ichigo and climbed into the back of the car. Just beyond the edge of the tress she could see Haibara watching her. Half hidden behind a tree, he looked ready to reach for her, hand lifted ever so slightly as he kept his eyes on her.

~!~

"We're going out on patrol?" Keigo asked as he sat in the hearth room with them. "But it's so comfy and safe in here!"

"Yes, but I also want my village to be safe." Tatsuki slid her feet into a pair of boots she'd brought along. A cute new pair she'd found at a little boutique by Obake. "I brought two dangers here, one is focused solely on me, so the girls should be safe, but the other one needs to be stopped as soon as possible."

"So you're coming with me an Mizuiro while Tatsuki drags Ichigo out of bed." Ryo slid another bolt into her crossbow.

"I doubt that will be necessary, Kunieda-san," Old Kenta entered the room. "Kurosaki-san is waiting in the entrance hall for you."

"Thank you," Tatsuki grabbed Midoriko from her place on the steps. Her sword had always been a girl for some reason; she doubted a male sword would be okay with having phone charms dangling from the hilt. "Are you ready?"

"Yes boss," Mizuiro grinned at her.

"The sooner the better."

"Not hardly," Keigo grumbled as he pushed himself up. "But if it means I get to cuddle my muffin sooner..." he wrapped his arms around Ryo's waist and grinned against her neck.

When Keigo was with Ryo, her friend was happy, radiating delight and focused on him more than Tatsuki thought to be natural. When they were together everything was sunshine and rainbows between them. Hiten was hardly a thought unless Keigo started on about a spell or Ryo went into researching her strange mirror. Then they seemed to turn into ice cream and vinegar.

Tatsuki didn't want tot hink about it now. Not when She had to dodge Kudo and run around Sugisawa with her own bowl of ice cream...not that she wanted to lick him or anything. The slayer shook her head and focused on the fact that Ichigo carried only a squirt gun with him. He was back in his street clothes

"What's up Bait Boy?" Keigo grinned as he surrendered his axe to Ryo. "No posse?"

"No," Ichigo shook his head. "I got the innkeeper to tell everyone about the local lore. They should be occupied until dawn."

"I think we might have to rescue them before you leave," Tatsuki snorted.

She walked forward, not towards the main doors but a rather small door off to the side. Bordering on invisible, Tatsuki pushed it open and disappeared into the blackness it contained. The others followed her, Ryo the first to follow her into the unknown. The strange passage was long and narrow, and as they passed through, they could hear people on the other side. They could her Old Kenta arguing with Tatsuki's nanny while Kudo was talking to someone on the phone. They could hear Tamaki laughing riotously with the younger members of the staff and Cookie was barking orders at her crew for the festival.

"Wow, you can hear everything," Keigo whispered as they began to descend. "Where does this place come out?"

"This one leads to Tsukimori Lake," Tatsuki answered just as quietly. "It used to be forbidden for an unmarried Arisawa woman to leave unattended by a male guard. When Lord Mafuyu rebuilt the entrance hall, his wife Kirie had the passage built in secret so she could visit the lake in secret." Tatsuki opened a door, flooding the teens in moonlight. The forest was just beyond them and the lake glittered further still, but Tatsuki turned left, hugging the mountain as she walked a rather narrow path. "Eventually he found out and beheaded her."

"Just for sneaking out of the house?" Ichigo asked.

"More for meeting her lover." Tatsuki began walking down a set of stairs, the stones widening the further she went. "Mafuyu never told anyone what he'd done, but he passed the information down. During the Azuchi-Momoyama Era, it was used to sneak information to Kagetora's agents."

Tatsuki finally came tot he bottom stair, shaking her shoulders as she let the huntress inside of her out to play. The world was far more intense now, and this was her home. Sugisawa wasn't something to leave to others, and even though the slayer rarely came, the very idea that something would dare invade her den was unforgivable. She could feel the energy and magic of generations at her back, spreading across the land and her body at once. She could hear the people behind her making soft sounds as they felt the same.

"The village spreads out over about five miles outside of the center," Tatsuki started down a near invisible path. "Ryo, you know the Southern area from the onsen, so you three head in that direction. We'll cover the west side." The path she took got them to the town quicker than the drive up had been. Upon reaching the edge she patted a low wall of mossy stone. "Don't leave sight of the old wall. If you see Haibara, run. If he attacks, shoot him."

"Got it boss," Mizuiro smiled. "Same to you."

"I get that she's not trying to be a pain in the ass, but i'm freezing mine off."

"you've never liked the cold," Ichigo snorted as Tatsuki complained. Even as he teased her he began taking his jacket off. "How do you stay warm when you patrol back home?"

"Adrenalene I guess." Tatsuki climbed over someone's hedge only to scowl at the narrow river she came face to face with. She turned to face Ichigo, eyes widening at the garment he was now offering her. "I'm fine, it's just a few more-"

"Take it," Ichigo scowled. "What kind of cocky ladies man wouldn't offer it?"

He wasn't prepared to have Tatsuki draw her sword on him. His scowled deepened until he felt the demonic energy of the kuchisuke behind him. IT was closing in much faster than the last time. Did she recognize them? Ichigo turned to see her gliding closer, mouth split and teeth bared at them as her hands stretched closer.

"Get out of the way," she growled. "Now!"

Ichigo listened to her, dodging out of the way as Tatsuki's sword sliced through the air. She certainly didn't wait, did she? The kuchisuke was more intent on following him than fighting with Tatsuki it seemed, because a flick of the wrist flung the slayer into the river below. For a split second, Ichigo thought of his mother and shouted for the woman who'd tumbled into the water, but the approaching kuchisuke broke his thoughts. She didn't speak to him, instead growling and hissing as she came onto the bridge.

Tatsuki coughed as she broke the surface of the water, hair weighing her down and Midoriko threatening to slip from her grasp. She could hear Ichigo and Sakuya up on the bridge, one hissing while the other ran across the wood.

"You're making this awfully troublesome Sakuya."

Tatsuki scurried out from the chilly water when she heard someone speak up behind her. The slayer quickened her strokes and sloshed out of the water before she turned to see. Haibara was standing on the opposite side of the river, smoking as he watched her. Calm and cool as though there wasn't a demon just above them.

"I'm not Sakuya," Tatsuki adjusted her grip on Midoriko. "Sakuya is up there trying to rip someone's face off."

"Why do you want him so badly?" he asked. Haibara flicked his cigarette into the river. "Why can't I make you happy?"

"Because you're a crazy serial killer," Tatsuki backed away. "You raped-"

"Shut up." Haibara's casual demeanor fell away as the demon inside rose to the surface. "I gave you what you wanted!" Her slayer senses started to flare as he began entering the river. "We're going home. We're going to be a family."

Tatsuki ran. Back to the bridge in the distance, back to the demoness and to Ichigo. Haibara was shouting at her back as she ran. She'd washed further down than she'd thought, further from the minimal safety offered by the creature she hunted and the unarmed bait she'd left behind.

Sakuya slowed dramatically as she hit the midpoint of the wooden bridge. Her steps staggered and at one point they stuck to the wood.

"Tatsuki!" he called out.

"Right here," he saw her running to him, sword glinting in the moonlight as she jumped onto the bridge. The Kuchisuke was trying to move again, trying to turn around to attack Tatsuki. Her movement was faster when she tried to go back.

"Oi! You don't like girls, remember?" Ichigo shouted at the creature. "Come on, you want me. Right ugly?"

Oh. Oh that got the ghost upset. She'd asked him before if she was pretty, back when she could still speak. No matter that she seemed to be stuck in the middle of the bridge; Sakuya wanted him.

She lost her head before she got to the middle again. Tatsuki's sword sung in the air as it slid through the rotting flesh that made the demon. There was no spray of blood however, only a rush of black and violet energy pouring out from her neck and intot he air. Faint sparks of bright white flickered in the tainted soul, growing in intensity the higher they went until nothing remained but the pure soul.

Ichigo turned to look at the slayer. Her hair had fallen loose, plastering itself to her form just as her clothes had. The shaking form kept him from falling into fantasy land where wet shirts and leather pants were cast aside. Her pulled the leather jacket off of her, ignoring her protests as he wrapped his around her.

"You're going to fall apart with all of that shaking," Ichigo grumbled.

"I am not," she argued.

She didn't shrug the jacket off though. Instead she pulled it closer, zipping the front befor she fiddled around beneath it. Wet white cotton schlupped to the ground seconds later and the slayer slid her arms out. Ichigo helped her pulled the hair from the fabric, wondering how she managed with the weight of it. He even helped to wring it out as she tried to contain her shaking.

"We should get back to the center of town and wait for the others." Ichigo let the wet coil fall against her back.

"Won't that be fun." She looked over at him before letting out a soft curse. "Good evening Detective Kudo."

Ichigo turned to see Detective kudo staring with wide eyes and an open mouth. He raised a hand and pointed at them before he pointed and the swiftly disappearing body. Just as the soul had, it was burning up from little flickers of light. The head had already disappeared.

"That...that was Sakuya."

"Yeah," Ichigo answered. "And then it was a demon. And now it's dead."

"Haibara..." Kudo looked at the place the body had been. "The second killer was...and you..." Kudo's eyes glinted as something in his mind clicked. The image of shocked man was replaced with stone cold cop. "Arisawa-san, I need to ask you to return to your home. Haibara is likely to strike during the festival, but if he sees you walking about at night, we can't guarantee your safety."

Ichigo nearly pulled Tatsuki along behind him as they went to the center of town. She didn't stop protesting for a moment and Ichigo didn't stop ignoring it. She could barely move from the cold, but the sword in her hand kept him from picking her up and carrying her. Even Kudo seemed to think twice about helping her along.

It was when she fell to her knees that they finally stopped. The slayer was clutching the jacket close and her sword hadn't left her arms.

"Tatsuki, we need to warm you up," Ichigo tried to pick her up.

"I'm nto cold," she shook her head.

"Miss Arisawa, I'm fairly certain-"

"I saw him again." Tatsuki stared hard at the ground. "Haibara...he doesn't even realize she's dead."

~!~

Sugisawa village actually contained quite a few people outside of the town square. Little houses and cabins dotted the surrounding forest and mountains. Some few preferred to live on boats in the river and then there was the staff who lived on the grounds. All of these people, along with a handfull of visitors, were milling around the Arisawa manor for the viewing party. Children were laughing and chasing each other about while their parents relaxed and, in some cases, asked Tatsuki's opinion on heated debates.

"She looks so pretty," Orihime sighed as she watched Tatsuki address a pair of arguing farmers. While not a bride, her friend was dressed in a rather elaborate Uchikake. She'd been made up and painted like a doll while her hair floated free behind her. Ryo was sitting no where near the princess, thankfully. Instead she was flanked by an older woman and a very old man. Both were dressed in more demure robes, but the entire scene made Orihime feel that she'd traveled through time. Or maybe she'd fallen into a movie.

"Like a real feudal princess."

"She would have been considered as such given the standing of the Arisawa clan." Rukia was standing at the back of the great hall with Orihime. "Where is Ichigo?"

"He's patrolling the compaound with Kudo," Orihime sighed.

She'd nearly forgotten about the serial killer in the building. So caught up in the excitement of it all and the act of defend the moon princess, she'd even forgotten that Ichigo had been acting very strange since they'd come back to Karakura. He'd left them alone last night too. The innkeeper had started talking about the Arisawa family and the demons they'd defeated and suddenly Ichigo's scent was just gone. He'd slipped back in a few hours later, when all but Orihime had fallen asleep. His jacket was missing and his scowl seemed to be made from stone.

When the police had come to the school, showing them the pictures of victims and warnign them about the killer, she'd fantasized about being rescued by Ichigo just in the nick of time. After all, she fit the profile pretty well. Long hair, shapely, fair skinned and kind. Then she'd heard what happened to Tatsuki. Her friend had been out monster hunting, real blood-sucking vampires, and Haibara had tackled her after...he'd tackled her to the ground, had her pinned as he prepared to take her! The cops had barely gotten there in time to save Tatsuki-chan according to Ichigo. Why hadn't she tried to fight him off though? Rukia seemed to think it was some sort of monster hunter code; no hurting humans.

Orihime wasn't entirely sure. Maybe Tatsuki had bitten off more than she could chew. Maybe she wasn't as cut out to fight evil as she thought she was. She had picked Ryo and Mizuiro to help her after all. Ryo never seemed to do anything but read and run and boss people around while Mizuiro...well, he was just so quiet and soft. It was dangerous for them to try and hunt monsters.

A bell rang throughout the house. Bold and low, it vibrated through Orihime's chest and out her fingertips. Tatsuki rose with the sound, graceful as any princess, and her companions followed suit. The elderly woman took Tatsuki by the hand, leading her out of the great hall as she would a child. A twenty-something man popped out from behind Orihime when Tatsuki came closer. It was the man who'd driven Tatsuki's mother home!

"This seems very elaborate," Orihime commented to Rukia.

"It's actually quite casual. Anikii has at least three guards escort him out of the great hall and I had four ladies maids the last time I attended a meeting."

"So that old woman is Tatsuki's maid?" Orihime didn't like the thought of putting an elderly woman to so much work.

"More likely it's her nanny." Rukia followed the group of locals to a place yet unknown. "My nanny still lives in the rooms next to mine."

"You had a nanny?" Orihime asked.

"Most noble children do." Rukia looked sad for a moment. "Once I joined the Kuchiki clan, I was very lonely. My brother was always busy and there weren't any other children to play with. Kaede was the only person I could run to."

Orihime looked across the crowd that had gathered in front of a very large door. It looked so much like the doors to the atrium back in Karakura, and Tatsuki looked so very different. She looked lonely, but used to the loneliness. As though it was nothing new. Any further thoughts on the subject were banished when Tatsuki opened the doors that would lead them into the garden. Much larger than the one in Karakura, an entire orchard seemed to exist inside of the ancient Arisawa Manor. Planted in rows, each tree seemed to burn from the light of the setting sun. Tatsuki entered the garden first, her nanny close by and Ryo only a few steps behind her. None of the villagers moved until she sat below the largest of the trees. Thicker around than any cherry tree Orihime had seen, it must have played host to generations, watching over it's orchard family like a guardian spirit.

"Thank goodness the ojou is back."

Orihime could hear a trio of old women gossiping behind her as they entered the garden.

"Oh, but you know she's only back for the festival," a second woman spoke lazily.

"Well of course she is, would you want to stay up here all alone?" The woman snorted. "Her mother wouldn't even let her Meet my grandson."

"I doubt Arisawa-kimi let her meet anyone until she entered school." The first old woman laughed.

The other two joined in before straying towards a tree to the left and joining their families. No less than four teenagers helped them to sit. There were actually quit a few teens in Sugisawa. Had Tatsuki never met any of them? Had Ichigo been Tatsuki's only friend until Orihime had met her? Guilt flooded the ginger haired girl as she truly thought about the implications. In Hueco Mundo she'd been locked in a tower awaiting rescue or death like every storybook princess; she hadn't liked being a princess one bit. In fact, she'd hated it.

"Ojuo!" a villager stood from his place. "We would like to thank you for hosting the festival!" The sound of the village cheering echoed through the walled orchard. "May you live long, and may the devils of the world tremble at your name!"

Orihime was pretty sure Tatsuki didn't like being a princess either. Not because of the clothes, but because no one seemed to know who she was. No one called her by name.

~!~

Tatsuki understood the concept of bait, hell, she'd been employing it for a few months now. But pretending to be bait and actually being bait were two very different things. The festival had ended and the villagers had gone home leaving only the staff and her guests. Tatsuki hadn't moved from the orchard though. She remained sitting beneath the cherry tree, watching the stars as Sakuya often did. She was even humming as she waited for the good doctor to drop in for a house call.

That scared her the most. While patrolling, Kudo and Ichigo had seen evidence that someone had climbed to the roof. Not a soul doubted that he was waiting for her to be alone. Thank god she wasn't. There were about five officers waiting behind the various shoji, armed and ready. Tamaki was amongst them, and while he'd been annoyed that the slayer be used as bait, he hadn't been so angry as Ichigo. That quiet, dangerous anger she'd only seen a few times. She'd felt a shadow within him too. The dark and fierce energy of her former stalker had been living inside of Ichigo. Was that what his hollow felt like?

She heard something drop from the roof and turned to see a dark figure coming closer to her. Crouching low until he realized she was watching him. Haibara stood up and began to walk towards her slowly.

"Sakuya, you're beautiful."

"Won't you sit?" Tatsuki asked, trying to keep the waver out of her voice. Why was it taking them so long?

"Anything for you."

He knelt in front of her, smiling as though nothing were wrong. Like everything in the world was perfect and peaceful. "I saw you with that boy last night. I don't like him."

"You," she whispered his name softly. "He's just..."

"He's not good enough for you. Not like I am."

It happened too fast. One moment his was calm and collected, then something had snapped and he'd lunged forward. His face had warped and fallen lax with the single shot of a gun. For the second time, You Haibara's weight crushed her, soaking her with blood. His lips had fallen to her own, still warm with what little blood remained in his head. The very faintest of movements came from them, a final breath calling out to Sakuya.

A cacophany of noise roared in her ears as police officers and the staff came pouring into the garden. Shouts and screams combined with the stamping of feet and the loud clanging of a bell. Someone pulled Haibara off of her while another pulled her away from the tree altogether. Okiku was in front of her, speaking calmly and assuring her that everything would be alright. Maids were surrounding her and the person who held just kept shouting at everyone while others argued. The noises around her were deafening to the point she heard nothing. She could smell only blood and feel nothing outside of whoever was holding her up.

~!~

It had been nearly three days since they'd returned from the strange village of Sugisawa. Three days since Tatsuki had been chased down by the mad doctor and cornered beneath the cherry trees. Orihime had followed Ichigo back to the terrifying Arisawa Manor and stood silent amongst the many armed officers as her friend sat helpless. Orihime had nearly cried out when the man knelt in front of Tatsuki-chan, wanting nothing more than to go and erect a shield between them. Kudo had shot the man dead before anyone could really speak.

The house in front of her now didn't seem so scary now. Not compared to the fortress in the mountains or the monster that had gone up there. Monsters. Ichigo had helped Tatsuki fight the Kuchisuke-onna. Since her first encounter with hollows, Orihime had never suspected they might become something else. She didn't know they could become demons.

Orihime shook her head of such dreadful thoughts. She was here for another reason. Ever since the festival Ichigo had been avoiding her. Not overtly, but he wasn't spending as much time at Urahara's as he used to. He barely listened when anyone spoke to him and when Tatsuki came into the room, he'd started...he'd start acting very strangely.

Orihime rang the doorbell, going over her practiced speech once more. She was going to ask Tatsuki-chan if Ichigo had been cursed. Or if maybe Tatsuki-chan was cursed to have men follow her around.

The door opened and Orihime began to speak.

"Tatsuki-chan, I...where's Tatsuki-chan?"

Mizuiro was looking at her with cup of tea in one hand and a pencil behind his ear. There were glasses perched on his nose and from the looks of things, he was staying the night at Tatsuki-chan's.

"She's at out shopping with Ryo," Mizuiro yawned. "She won't be home until late."

"Oh, so she's letting you stay here while she's gone?"

"I sort of live here," Mizuiro laughed lightly. "Ryo too, although Keigo still likes living with his sister."

"I didn't think anyone would actually want to live here," Orihime hummed. "Although, seeing the manor in Sugisawa-"

"Do you want me to give Tatsuki a message?" Mizuiro asked her.

"Oh, well, It's just that Tatsuki has been hunting down all these monsters." Orihime looked him in the eye, fairly certain the quiet boy would tell her what she wanted to know. "It's dangerous you know, and ever since Ichigo found out, he's been obsessing over vampires...I'm worried there's something wrong with him. I ant to know Why Tatsuki-chan started to hunt monsters."

Mizuiro took a sip of tea before answering her.

"Have you asked Ichigo if anything is wrong?"

"Well, yes. Hedoesn't think there's anything wrong at all."

"Maybe there isn't," Mizuiro smiled kindly. "Anyhow, Tsuki isn't home. I think she's at Ikaruga Mall."

Orihime wasn't' particularly fond of hunting someone down in a mall. While Tatsuki was rather tomboyish, she'd dragged Orihime shopping just once in their first year of high school; Orihime was still trying to convince herself a mall wasn't a battlefield.

"Please tell her I came by," Orihime bowed politely. "She's somewhat scary when she shops."

"She's twice as bad now that she's got Ryo to help," Mizuiro laughed. "Goodnight Orihime."

~!~

~!~

~!~

Holy crap. This took a while to write up and post. 32 pages, right here, posted just before finals. It may excite some of you to know I have a Paid summer internship in NYC. WOOO! The next chapter has much less Ichigo in it. In fact, he kind of disappears except for a few cameos; that whole avoidance game we tend to do when we know someone likes us. For those of who who picked up Who Zenigata was, he has gone of in search of Lupin; Tatsuki kind of got him hooked on catching thieves :)

Also, the village of Sugisawa, to those of who who may not have wanted to investigate it last time, is a town that was spirited away. It, and the manor, are mapped out nearly the same as Minakami Village and Himuro Mansion from Fatal Frame's I & II.

Thank you again to everyone who has been so patient with me over the very Long span of time I have been working on this.


	15. Whisper

Whisper

"Mah, when is Tsuki-chan coming back?" Keigo had asked this question at least three times a day for the last week and a half.

"She's coming back from Scotland on Saturday," Ryo answered for the second time that day. Only one more to go. And three days before the slayer returned.

The girl in question had left the country for a number of reasons. Almost as soon as she'd stepped foot in Karakura, she was flying right out of it to meet the Watcher's Council for important slayer-type stuff. A three day trip had turned into a week, and now it was turning into two weeks. The Tenshi knew it wasn't slayer business anymore. It really hadn't been when she left. It was Tatsuki needing to feel strong again after being in a string of situations where she was powerless. The demonic presence inside of Haibara had come from an Incubus, more than that, it had come from a spectacularly nasty breed capable of rending it's chosen victims immobile. Add on an overly attentive detective and a spectacularly foolish teenaged male...

It was no surprise Tatsuki had taken off.

But with her exit, Keigo and Ryo's relationship had taken a sharp turn down a long hill. More often than not, Keigo spent time with Ichigo and the others, leaving Ryo and Mizuiro on the roof of the gym. When they did conglomerate, be it to simply have lunch or slay vampires, all the two ever did was fight. Ryo was acting out against Orihime more often and Mizuiro was starting to get a bit snappish at Ichigo whenever the vaizard came around. Ichigo had of course responded right back, scowling deeper and acting more sullen than most anyone had seen him before. Orihime didn't seem to know what to do, though she was starting to respond quite fully to Ryo's taunts, sometimes with just as much bite as the other girl. Everything was falling apart.

They needed Tatsuki back.

The slayer rolled to the side as the sword came down at her head, catching some few strands and dotting the ground with blood. Jolts of fire ran along the strands to Tatsuki's scalp, but the Japanese slayer wasn't about to focus on it.

Rhona wasn't about to let her. The Irish slayer was her sparring partner today and Buffy was watching from the sidelines, right next to the ever grinning Faith. Coming to Castle Summer had been one of the best choices Tatsuki had made when it came to running away; she was woman enough to admit it. When she'd arrived it was nothing like the Tokyo branch, it was less orderly, a little more relaxed, and best of all, it had a huge dojo and weapons locker. There were multiple sensei and weapons instructors, each fully aware of how multiple skills could save a slayers life.

Since her arrival, Tatsuki had been shoved into the clutches of the Krav Maga teacher and the kendo instructor. She was showing what she'd learned before she went back home. Midoriko was in her hands and while the Hoshigaki-sensei hadn't been entirely thrilled with the fact she'd never had training, he was excited to have a nodachi user for a student. Gaki-sensei even joked about coming to Japan and attacking her in her sleep sometime.

Tatsuki stopped herself just as Midoriko hit the skin of Rhona's neck. The Irish girl was pinned under the much shorter Japanese one and Buffy had called the match. Hadn't that been a strange thing, looking the eldest living slayer in the eye without having to look up...Buffy had been just as happy with the situation.

"Good job Tsuki," Rhona laughed from beneath her. Tatsuki moved her sword away and helped the redhead to her feet. Not copper or orange, but red. "I think I might have to watch myself a bit more on the left."

"It's very weak," Tatsuki smiled at her. Willow, the only coppery-orange haired woman she'd seen here, had cast a Babel spell to reduce the risk of misunderstandings. "I had to train for years before my left was even close to as guarded as my right."

"Good thing," Buffy spoke as she walked onto the mat. "There aren't enough slayers out there with early training. And since you've been called, we're picking up potentials that aren't turning into slayers."

"That's a good thing though," Faith shrugged it off. "We don't need more girls going into fights they can't handle. Especially when we can barely handle the girls we've got."

This subject had come up multiple times. Buffy wanted Tatsuki to stay at HQ and help train some of the younger girls, she could even bring her Tenshi. Faith was always quick to point out that Karakura while not a Hell Mouth per se, was certainly some type of other-world orifice. The Tokyo girls had enough trouble and her little sister had things under control. At that point, Tatsuki would thank Buffy and politely decline the invitation. Aside from the fact that she needed to be there, Tatsuki wanted to be in Karakura. Her home, her friends, her family, all of them were there. She really just didn't want to leave.

~!~

Later that night, as Faith helped Tatsuki pack, a question was posed that most everyone had been wondering about. Was she alright t go back, or did she need some more time?

"I'm good," Tatsuki sat on her suitcase. The damn thing wasn't wanting to shut and Willow's portals could be a little tricky about sending wayward items in someone's stomach. She kind of hoped Dawn would be the one to send her home tonight.

"Alright," Faith zipped it shut, hands weaving and ducking around the younger slayer's legs as she did. "I'm going to be swinging back through in a few and the Doc wants you to get a check-up once you get back. A few girls came over from the Amazon yesterday with something kind of nasty."

"Alright," Tatsuki nodded and hopped off of the troublesome luggage. It was significantly fuller now than it had been when she arrived. Sales were never safe from shop-hungry slayers like Tatsuki and Buffy. "Mother wants to take you kimono shopping, just so you know."

"Yeah, I heard something about that." In the months since learning she was Mai's step-daughter, Faith had been put through her own set of lessons courtesy of one stuffy British man by the name of Giles and a very old Japanese woman Mai had sent over. Tatsuki had met both of them during one of Faith's lessons and corrected each of them at least twice. Kurenai-san had accepted the corrections gracefully, not really corrections but clarifications as to Arisawa Clan proceedings, while Giles depended far too much on books he'd read. Each written of course by an equally stuffy man who was convinced a woman should act in a particular way. It was always more fun when Kurenai-san joined in on correcting him.

"It's not terrible," Tatsuki laughed.

"Yeah, well punch that ginger kid in the head for me, okay?" Faith lifted the suitcase and started walking down to the Casting Room. "I'd tell you to punch the cop too, but Mai doesn't need two kids with a record."

The two of them continued laughing as they headed down, Japanese mixing with English on both ends as spells faded away and took over respectively. It was easier to pretend everything was okay around her elder sister. Everything was okay and the other slayers weren't whispering about bad blood or cheating the lineage. Dawn was the one casting tonight, joining them in their gossip as she prepped Tatsuki for travel. Yes, she had Mioriko and she'd packed her gloves. No, Buffy hadn't made off with her stake in the middle of the night; the blonde was incredibly jealous of the thing.

The soft green magic that was Dawn began to pool around Tatsuki's feet and the smell of her own home began to trickle across the casting room. The atrium of the Karakura house blended with the stone around them until eventually it had faded entirely, leaving Tatsuki and her suitcase in Japan.

"Tatsuki!"

The slayer was not expecting the hug from Ryo. Bordering on a tackle, her normally stoic friend was a mass of emotions ranging from anger to fear to joy and sorrow. The girl was in her night clothes and a lonely cup of tea was sitting beside a hydrangea bush.

"I'll help you hide the body after I put my things away."

~!~

Keigo was not to join them on hunts for a while. Not because Tatsuki suggested it, which she would have, but because he'd decided he and Ryo needed a break. Apparently he felt she was too serious and she made things too difficult. She didn't support his magic enough and she was always reading instead of doing anything fun. Fun being sex and related activities. That was the strange part though. It wasn't that Ryo was loose, but she and Keigo hadn't spent a night together without getting physical in some way.

Mizuiro couldn't even begin to explain what Keigo meant.

"And you're sure you don't need help hiding a body?" Tatsuki asked her friend once more. She was sitting on Dr. Ishida's desk, hair in a high pony while Ryuken made she she didn't have malaria.

"I'm quite sure," Ryo nodded.

"The cops always find a body on Mitarashi, stuck in the drainage pipes." Dr. Ishida moved the flashlight from Tatsuki's mouth to look at her ears. "Never can seem to find a killer."

"See?" Tatsuki crowed. "And the doc's the county coroner, so even if there's was any proof, there's no proof."

"There's a lot of illegal drugs out there," Ishida hummed. "He probably overdosed."

"There's also nothing to kill him over." For the first time that day, Ryo was smiling. Faintly, but there it was.

The good doctor was once again listening to the girls plan the possible murder of another creature, though this one he regarded with perhaps more disdain and offered a good deal more advic. He was also making notations in his special notebook, reserved just for the Tenshi and their various illnesses and exploits. So far Tatsuki didn't have anything worthy of his medical log, just his personal one. He checked her eyes once more before waving her off and motioning for Ryo to step up. So long as he had them both in he'd said; He just wanted to listen in on demon hunting and ex-boyfriend murdering before he had to go and pick them up later.

They were going shopping after this and damn anyone who tried to stop them. Both were dressed for shopping, not boyfriend or demon hunting. Not that it stopped Tatsuki from dressing for both. A pair of tan skinny jeans combined with a blue button up and a simple black jacket. Ryo had elected for something a bit less intimidating, a khaki mini skirt and a tank top she hadn't worn since she started dating Keigo.

He was checking Ryo's throat when a nurse knocked on the door. She looked tired and just a little bit scared. Her white cap was faintly askew and the clipboard in her hand was shaking. Ishida glanced over at the two behind him before taking the board from the nurse and sending her back out.

"There's been something strange going around," he sat down at his desk, fixing the two girls with a look. "At least five people have come in without a voice. No connections with one another, nothing in common, and no signs of illness. I can't exactly go to the medical board saying it's magic." The doctor tossed the file down onto his desk. "If it is magic. I can't feel anything coming off of them, and they just keep piling in." They'd never seen him look so down and upset, but he was back in front of Ryo seconds later, checking to make sure she was alright.

"So we're good to go?" Tatsuki asked as he waved Ryo down.

"You are, but Miss Kunieda has the beginnings of an ear infection." He picked his notepad from the desk an began walking out the door, both girls following him down the hall and away to the pharmacy.

Tatsuki could feel something off while they moved. Half of an argumentor conversation was heard in every room, and when she poked her head into one, she could see those who were unable to speak. There was a semi-large group of them standing in front of a desk, shouting noiselessly at the nurses behind it and slamming their hands against the counter and papers. It was when Dr. Ishida had to step in that the girl got worried. A rather large man was swinging his fist around and kicking things as his quiet son tried to explain the situation in a trembling voice.

"You will calm yourself," the hospital director scowled as he caught the man's wrist. "My staff may remove you from my hospital at any time."

The girls had always know Ryuken could be scary, but this was a side of him they did Not want to piss off. Cold and calculating was taken to a whole other level in this moment and the Slayer inside of her woke up. Ryo moved just a bit behind her and the doc was keeping himself firmly in between the girls and Sendou.

The man sneered, wicked words falling silent from twisted lips. He calmed somewhat and his son began to speak in his place. With the way the man -Sendou- looked at his son and the girls, it was easy to tell his son didn't talk all that often, if at all. One morning his father had simply woken up and couldn't speak. He'd eaten the same thing he had every night, the same beer, the same show, his life was full of meticulous regularity and his son was carefully hiding the bruises from scheduled beatings. Not careful enough though. Tatsuki could see the purple marks on his throat and the slight limp he was trying to hide. She could see the pain in the kid's body from the way he held himself. Not to mention his left arm was in a brace.

Sendou wasn't a demon though. Just an asshole. Teaching him a lesson or acting out against him was firmly in the dark gray area of slayerdom. Instead, the two high schoolers were forced to wait while the doctor kept a steady eye on the situation at hand. Just as Dr. Ishida had said, there was no magic coming off of him. No curse marks and certainly no signs of sickness. The only thing strange about the guy, in Tatsuki's most humble opinion, was how much a massive dick he was.

The doors opened up behind them and another couple came in, this one a bit younger and obviously happier. The woman was laughing lightly while the man continued to make strange faces, just as silent and confused as many of the other people around. Then the man recognized Sendou, he tugged at his wife's sleeve and pointed, eliciting a sharp gasp from the kind looking woman.

"Sendou-sempai?" she asked the near to purple faced man. The man turned at his voice, smirking slightly at the young couple before remembering he couldn't speak. This only made the newcomers grin. "It really is you...did you say something nice?"

Sendou flipped her off and began waving again, causing his son to flinch momentarily.

"I always said the day Sendou-sempai said something nice, his tongue would fall out of his mouth," the young woman nodded at her husband. "That doesn't account for you though."

"May I ask who you are?" Dr. Ishida asked, ignoring the waving Sendou.

"I'm Jin Kanade, an this is my husband Miki," Jin answered. "Sendou-sempai was the head counselor back at camp."

"Camp?" Tatsuki asked in confusion.

"Hm, Camp Tsukineko," Jin smiled at the memory. Even her husband went into quiet recognition while Sendou stopped waving about quite so much; while Jin seemed happy and wistful, the other two looked upset. "I stopped going a few years before Miki, but that's where we met and fell in love."

A few moments later, Dr. Ishida was dragging Jin through the halls to see the other voiceless patients, and while she couldn't identify all of them, they started recognizing each other. Some were counselors, others had merely stayed for a summer or two, and still others had been in charge of the kitchen or crafts. One very thin lead was all they had at this point; Camp Tsukineko in 1985. Supernatural investigation always trumped shopping, a fact both girls were rather upset over right now.

The teens left to investigate once Ryo had her prescription. They'd call up the recently stationed Kudo if they had to, he'd been dropping by often enough according to the watcher. Always wondering where Tatsuki was, when she was coming back. He'd come by almost every day after the Sugisawa incident and just as Ryo had warned Tatsuki, Kudo was waiting on the front porch with Mizuiro when the girls walked up to the house. His trench-coat was folded up neatly beside him and his jacket slung over his shoulder. Not for the first time, Tatsuki realized he wasn't so very bad to look at.

"Ah, Arisawa-san, just the person I wanted to see."

"I took a sabbatical to get my head on straight," Tatsuki climbed up her front stairs. "Did you need something?"

"I'm supposed to do a follow up, but really I just wanted to see if you were feeling well," Kudo smiled kindly.

Soft brown hair was falling from it's style and the barest glisten of sweat was on his brow as the sun shone down. His tie was loose around his neck, hanging on either side while the top button of his shirt was undone, revealing a strong neck and the very beginning of his pecs. With the sun shining down like it was and the rising humidity, Tatsuki was beginning to forget all about her troubles with a certain berry head. Ichigo hadn't asked if she was okay, then again, she'd only gotten back last night, but if Kudo had been coming every day like Ryo said...

"I'm much better now. I spent some time with my sister and her friends." She couldn't help but push a fallen strand of hair behind her ear. "One of them just had a kid and...oh! Actually, I was wondering if maybe you left a file here about a camp that shut down in '85. Tsukineko, I think you called it?" Tatsuki couldn't ask for his help any more than Kudo could give it, stickler for the law that he was.

"I'll double check my office," Kudo nodded with a faint grin. It was a little bit mischievous actually. "Should I pick it up around noon on Friday, in case I did leave it?"

"Noon sounds good," Tatsuki nodded. "We'll be having tea in the garden."

"Kimono free?" Kudo asked, worried at her answer.

"Yes, kimono free."

As the young detective walked away, Tatsuki wondered if there was a large age difference between them. Her two weeks in Scotland had raised a lot of questions about Ichigo's behavior towards her. Xander had called it Harem Syndrome, a situation in which a guy had so many female friends, that any male who came close was more than a threat, he was downright trying to steal one of the affected's pseudo-girlfriends. Once the girls at HQ heard about his stunt in the park and the very absent apology for putting her in a situation like that, it had been a fight to let the idiot live.

Ichigo couldn't apologize if he was dead. Of course, she'd probably be dead before it ever came.

"Did you just make a date with Detective Kudo?" Ryo asked.

"No," Tatsuki waved it off. "No, he's just, helping us out on a hunt."

"Of course," Mizuiro smiled from the steps of the porch. "And you certainly weren't making goo eyes."

"I do not make goo eyes."

~!~

Maybe she did. Off-Duty Kudo was an attractive guy, but Day Off Kudo was very close to sexy. Very, very close. Dressed quite casually in a pair of clean, baggy khakis and a soft blue t-shirt, Kudo didn't look anything like a detective. In fact, he looked like a college student with his hair ruffled ad his causal demeanor.

"How old are you?" Tatsuki asked when he sat at the tea-table with them. Not that she wanted to compare their ages, after all, you only did that when someone was ungodly cute and you might date. Which...he kinda was and she wasn't entirely ruling him out.

"Twenty-three," he smiled, cheeks pinkening. "I sort of rushed through high school, and college at the same time. And police academy."

"Impressive," Mizuiro recovered before either girl could comment. "What did your friends think?"

Kudo fell silent and pulled a folder from his rather normal looking backpack. The stiff silence that moved through the garden said enough about the matter. His friends hadn't been pleased at all, because a face like that meant he'd had some very close ones. Tatsuki wondered if perhaps one of those friends had been a girlfriend, and why hadn't said girlfriend stuck with such a smart, attractive guy.

"I did have to work on this little thing," Kudo opened the folder and set it in the middle of the table. "A few of them, actually. I've been crossing off names from the missing children reports from the 80's. There's only a few left, most of them found within the last few decades or they vanished under...less than human circumstances."

He went back into his bag and Tatsuki looked closely at the open file. The remaining names were few, all of them about the right age to attend a camp for youths. She didn't even move back when Kudo set the next file down on top of it. Camp Tsukineko's final report. The place had shut down when a camper went missing in the middle of the night. Not a trace was found, no signs of a struggle, and all of the camper's things were right where they had been the day before.

"The trouble I'm having is figuring out which of these people is the one who went missing." Kudo sipped his tea before continuing. "There isn't a single mention of the boy's name in the report, and no one has been in our out of the campgrounds since it was purchased seven years ago. I can't even figure out who bought it either."

"We'll probably need to go into the camp to find out who the kid was," Tatsuki mumbled as she looked at the investigation report. "Hardly anything came out of that place with the people."

"I wish I could," Kudo pouted at the open file. "Unfortunately I'm needed here in Karakura so I can get a hold of the human bad guys. There's a drug ring we're closing in on and I need to be there."

"Thank you, for doing this," Tatsuki spoke as she refilled his cup. "I hope you'll be alright."

"You too, a vampire is probably easier to fight than a ghost."

"If it's a ghost," Tatsuki nodded. She turned to ask Ryo her opinion only to find that her friends had snuck away. "I suppose, we'd have to find an exorcist or a purifier if it was. No body makes it a bit harder to behead or burn."

"You can do it," he smiled at her. The sunlight was shining down again, bouncing off of the lingering moisture from the sprinklers and creating a rainbow behind him. He really was handsome, the copper highlights in his hair stood out under the sun and dark eyes were shining with faith in her abilities.

"Thank you."

Kudo stayed long enough to finish his tea, asking if Tatsuki was caught up in her schoolwork and if she'd managed to watch the latest martial arts tournament while she was away. She told him about her Krav Maga instructor's penchant for attacking her in the middle of the night. Not only then, but also while she was eating, in the restroom, or practicing with Hoshigaki-sensi. The man was downright brutal.

"Hoshigaki...Kisame?" Kudo asked as he stood. When Tatsuki nodded he laughed. "He was one of the instructors at the academy. Is he still doing that spoon and egg thing?"

"Yeah," Tatsuki rose as well. "Although he's been making slayers use chopsticks."

Kudo winced by the door, grabbing his jacket from the stand and turning to face her. Tatsuki waited for him to speak, not entirely sure why she was doing something like that.

"I'll see you when you get back Arisawa-san."

"Tatsuki, detective" she corrected. "Please."

"If you call me Shinichi."

The detective waved goodbye as he left, heading not towards the center of town, but further into the neighborhood near to the river. Had he walked here from home? Was he meeting with someone? Detective Shinichi Kudo was turning into a very interesting person these days. Interesting and attractive.

When the slayer turned back into the house it was to see Ryo and Mizuiro sitting on the steps behind her.

"What was that?" Ryo asked with a smirk.

"It was nothing," Tatsuki blushed in response. "He just, he has useful information and we had some of the same instructors." Mizuiro raised a brow. "And he's cute, and kind of nice."

"You know, Ichigo has been patrolling here every night," the boy began. "He won't talk to us, but he comes by."

Tatsuki started to bristle in response, Patrolling or not, the teen hadn't even come to see her off when she left two weeks ago. If he wasn't talking to her friends, she had little reason to think he'd like being around them. And more to the point, he actually had her phone number, he could have called or sent a text! He didn't even send her an IM on Facebook or an email or something...she'd have settled for a picture of a dumb cat.

"He still owes me an apology," Tatsuki finally said. "And you two need to pack up. We're going to camp Tsukineko." Tatsuki grabbed her purse from the coat rack before picking up her keys. "I'm going to try and rope a shinigami into coming with us in case we have a ghost."

The teasing whispers of her friends echoed behind her as she left.

Tatsuki paused when she reached Ichigo's street, feeling for the ridiculous amount of energy he tended to give out. It was pretty far off, down by the warehouse district and Urahara's. In the back of her mind she wondered if it made sense to avoid the person you wanted an apology from, but the dark hair of Isshin Kurosaki in the backyard distracted her from her building confusion. She was here for a very distinct reason. To do her job. The slayer went into the back, coming to stand next to Isshin as he tended Masaki's rose bushes. Tatsuki tried to ignore the ever present pang of envy that came with the sight. Masaki and Isshin had always been her model for a perfect relationship; ghost hunting and craziness aside.

"Ah, you're late choujo," he mumbled as he stood slowly. His back popped and cracked, signs of mortal age catching up with him. "I need some help with the ladies here."

"Sure," Tatsuki nodded. Isshin handed her a pair of clippers and set her to clipping the dead blossoms from the bushes. Masaki used to let her do the same thing so many years ago. "Isshin, are you free this weekend? We have a new case an it might be ghost related."

"I thought you liked to purify them, salt and fire." Isshin was checking the roses for bugs, flicking them into a can of water and cigarette butts or dropping the into a can of salt depending. She could hear the doubt in his voice combined with flattered confusion. "I seem to remember hiding you when a warehouse burned down last month."

"Normally, but we're not sure there's enough of a body left. If we can even find one." Tatsuki tossed a blossom at him before continuing. "And who's fault is it that the warehouse had seventeen angry ghosts in it?"

And so she told him the story of the missing camper. No trace, no struggle, no name. Possibly no ghost. Just an old summer camp in the middle of the forest and a bunch of people who could no longer speak. It didn't quite feel like a curse because it didn't even feel like magic. If their mage wasn't currently 'finding himself' away from their group they might have had a better chance at figuring it out.

"Honestly, I sort of saw it coming," Tatsuki clipped another dead blossom. She'd seen faint traces, but she'd hoped he might stick around for Ryo and the relationship they'd been trying to build. It didn't matter that he was finally getting useful, although it kinda did, Ryo was smiling. "He was always Ichigo's friend, it makes sense he'd go back."

"Well, he certainly picked a poor time, didn't he? My question though, is why did you come to me?" Isshin fixed her with a look and set the can of dead bugs down. "Why not look for Ishida or his son? Why not Urahara or the local shinigami?"

"You're kidding right?" He wasn't. "Ryuken is dealing with a bunch of crap at the hospital and Uryuu always runs to tell Ichigo every single detail of everything we do." Tatsuki clipped one more withered blossom. "And Urahara? I don't trust him."

"What about Ichigo?"

Tatsuki was surprised he'd even bring it up, enough so she ended up clipping one of the fresh blossoms from the bush by accident. Slayer reflexes let her catch it, while her healing factor healed the cuts caused by the thorns. He was still waiting for an answer. An answer Tatsuki wasn't entirely prepared to give with the slowly approaching energy of the boy in question.

"If you come with us I'll tell you on the hike in." Isshin didn't seem appeased. "I'll tell you everything, alright?"

"I would be honored to go on a camping trip with you Tsuki-chou!" Isshin crowed before crushing her in a hug. "Now go, put that flower into some water, eh?"

"Thank you Gifu," Tatsuki smiled before hopping the fence and dashing off. As predicted, the man burst into tears that weren't about to end any time soon. Good, Ichigo deserved to deal with that mess.

~!~_Gifu means Father-in-law_~!~

The closer the got to camp Tsukineko, the more uneasy Tatsuki felt with the whole situation. The tiny town they'd left Isshin's car in was decrepit and falling apart, boards blackened with rot and dirt. The glass of the windows was cracked and broken, cloudy from years unwashed. What few houses remained were covered in peeling paint and mold, housing only the wildlife that roamed the area. Wildlife that was looking at them rather strangely for coming near. It seemed as though the entire area had died off after the camp closed.

"This place is downright creepy," Tatsuki looked around as they all began to stretch. Isshin's car was the only one in the town and the road tot he camp was blocked by gates and fallen trees.

"Exactly why I'm not hiking to the camp tonight." Ryo hopped onto the edge of Isshin's trunk and yawned. Four hours of driving up into the mountains had all of them tired and irritable.

"I think I see an inn over there," Mizuiro told them as he started walking towards the building. His voice had lost more and more emotion as they drove and Isshin wasn't even speaking as he grabbed his own pack and followed the boy.

The girls shared a look. The inn was possibly the worst looking building in the tiny town. Half the porch had fallen off and the door wasn't even attached any more. If the boys wanted to go there first, fine by them. They were going to explore just a bit in case there was something with a bit less tetanus. Grabbing only a flashlight and a water bottle, the two girls set off in the other direction, eager to learn more about the small village of Kamikizuki.

There was an official looking building across from the inn, doors locked tight and windows boarded up to keep anyone from coming in. Tatsuki wasn't anyone though. She was a slayer and the rotting wood fell as easily as breaking a cracker. The light from outside wasn't enough to help the inside of the building at all. If anything it made the place darker. The flashlights kicked on and the girls crept deeper into the building.

"Kind of like old times, huh?" Tatsuki asked as they wandered around the main room. Six old desks lined the walls around them. "Complete with the creepy abandoned warehouse."

"I think this was a county building," Ryo argued. She was looking a an old file that had been resting on the desk behind her. "Look, this is a doctor's report from the morgue downstairs, but it's addressed to the police officer on the third floor."

"How do you know the morgue was downstairs?" Tatsuki asked, coming over to check.

Ryo didn't have to say anything. The adress on the paper was quite enough. Kamikizuki Couty office. Everything a town needed in one tiny building. Records, police, medicine...why had the town died so quickly though? Tatsuki read the report through while Ryo started exploring the desk's contents further. A birth certificate for Kageri Sendou. No father listed, only a mother.

"Sendou..." Tatsuki mumbled. "Hey, Ryo, what are the other files about, near to where this one was found?"

"More birth certificates, all of them Sendou. No fathers."

There was something very off about the whole situation she realized. The Sendou women could have been the local bar flies, sure, but something about the village and the strange illness and the decades of single mothers made Tatsuki wonder. She set the file down and started towards the staircase at the back of the room. The third floor was police, the first was reception and the basement was the clinic. So what was behind door number two? Ryo caught up with her halfway up the stairs, no soonr did they see the second floor than they knew exactly what it was.

"The local school," Tatsuki pushed the first door open. Second to fourth grade if the art on the walls was any judge. Desks still had names written on them and even though it looked like every other desk, Tatsuki found herself looking through a desk belonging to Miki Sendou. "I wonder...if Miki from the hospital is this Miki..."

"They looked kind of similar." Ryo was flipping through the teacher's grade book. "Hold on, I found something..."

Tatsuki came over tot he desk to see what she'd found. A photograph, old and worn, showing all twelve of the children who'd once been in this classroom. Sitting in front of them was a very young version of the Miki they'd met at the hospital and a little girl who looked just like him.

"Mina Sendou," Ryo read from the grade book. "Twins...oh, listen..."

_Miki and Mina are ill again today. More than likely, Mina is ill and Miki won't leave her side. Mafuyu however, he doesn't seem to care about his younger siblings, leaving them alone while their mother is at work._

Tatsuki felt it before she saw it. A growing force just behind them, looming out from the wall as Ryo finished reading. The slayer didn't think before she shoved Ryo to the left while she fell tot he right. Just in time, a swirling dark energy of a ghost flew across the room, mouth opened in a soundless scream. She stopped at the end of the room, hovering over miki's desk as sh began to swell with energy once again.

"Let's get the hell out of here," Tatsuki pulled Ryo out and down the stairs.

The ghost of Mina was slow when she wasn't lunging towards them, and she couldn't turn while she was attacking. It took less than a minute to get out of the building and over the salt line Isshin and Mizuiro had lain out. She scowled at them a few moments more before disappearing into the night air. Isshin looked ready to go outside, but he couldn't without breaking the salt line. The two girls wre just fine with sitting on the floor while they caught their breath.

"Find something fun?" Mizuiro asked.

"Sick little girl, mean older brother, obsessive twin," Tatsuki mumbled around a mouthful of ramen. Tetanus or no, the inn was a safezone and she was hungry. She was on her third helping of the prepackaged food-like stuff already. "She's not shouting or screaming like all the other ghosts we've fought, but she's not outright attacking either, not until we started talking about her brothers."

"When I was in the academy..." Isshin began. The three teens gave him blank stares. "Shinigami academy, it's where you learn hadou and kido and..." Isshin let out a sigh at the raised brows and confused teens. "We learned about a type of negative energy that acts as a virus. It attaches itself to the soul and is slowly absorbed until the reaches maturity."

"So...you think they have a magical plague...that's using the affected's energy to feed itself?" Tatsuki asked. "Like my hair?"

"That sounds dumb," Ryo snorted. "It would still need some sort of catalyst to even activate, not to mention a caster."

"And there's nothing attached to their souls," Mizuiro shook his head. "I checked them over at least twice before we left."

"Certainly nothing that felt like Mina," Tatsuki agreed. "If anything they feel completely normal. Like someone took everything interesting away from them."

Isshin would have pouted at their arguments if not for the fact that Tsuki-chou and her friends were dissecting it in a very logical manner. Taking the information they'd been given and reapplying it to what they knew, crossing out other bits and asking for examples of known cases. If Ichigo and Tatsuki could move past their issues, Isshin didn't doubt they'd be unstoppable. He'd been trying not to interfere in his son's relationship with Tatsuki, but tomorrow he would start helping them sort this nonsense out. It wasn't funny any more.

~!~

They were about ten minutes into the morning hike before Isshin started in on Tatsuki. Well, he didn't so much 'start in' as he walked very close to her, floating over her shoulder until she'd wave a hand at him. She really had no choice but to tell him everything. From the kiss in middle school, which Ichigo seemed to have forgotten, to the horrifyingly embarrassing situation he put her in the night they got arrested. Isshin was there the day Urahara told Tatsuki what was going on; even that wasn't the whole story. He knew Ichigo hadn't said a word to her for fear of her safety, but he'd assumed he might have said something the day she almost died at the hands of Yammy Llargo. No, not a word. Not even when he followed her on patrol or stood outside of her window in his spirit form. So what if she'd figured it out, she wanted to know at least something about his life.

"Of course, I'm not short enough to hear all his secrets," Tatsuki snorted as they came to a resting point. Mizuiro and Ryo had already heard it, though they were submitting their opinions every now and again. Teenagers really weren't kind people when it came down to it.

"You're also way too young," Ryo snickered. "You have to be at least two centuries."

"Easily, and you could act a bit prissier," Mizuiro added as he passed out the granola bars. "Maybe feign an ignorance of our savage, mortal ways."

"I could also gouge my eyes out with a rusted clam knife," Tatsuki snorted. "I mean, seriously, he's impossible to read!"

"It's hard for a man to show a girl the way he feels," Isshin finally broke into the gossipy conversation. "Ichigo hasn't exactly had a lot of examples on how to communicate with them either."

"We've known each other for twelve years, I haven't changed that much," Tatsuki complained. "So I'm like, two feet taller than I was when we were five..."

"You also have boobs now," Mizuiro interrupted her.

"And four and a half feet of hair," Ryo hummed. "You look more...dainty now."

"Dainty?!" Tatsuki shouted, scaring the birds into the air.

"You only Look dainty," Mizuiro clarified. "Anyone who knows you knows you're not. It could be throwing Ichigo's instincts off."

"Like the survival instinct you just tapped into?" Ryo snickered.

"Exactly." The three teens laughed and continued to tease one another over dainty survival instincts.

While none of them saw it, Isshin's jaw set as he decided to have a serious talk with his son. What he'd said earlier was true. Ichigo had no idea how to court a lady. What few examples he'd seen between his parents were very different from his situation. Masaki had been calm, kind, sweet, unless she was angry or hunting hollows, then she turned into a fearsome warrior. Orihime was much like Ichigo's mother, but was too whimsical for his serious son. Then there was Rukia, whom not a one of the teens around him seemed to like; No doubt their dislike stemmed from the unhappiness she brought Tatsuki and the utter chaos that had started since she arrived. Rukia was everything a courtly lady was supposed to be on the outside, everything a soldier should be inside; wise and kind, beautiful of course, but she wasn't willing to fight Ichigo for fun. She rolled over too often and when it came to the human world, she depended quite heavily on those around her.

Tatsuki was a bit more fearless. She'd picked up a team after she'd plunged headfirst into policing the supernatural world. He'd seen her breaking up fae fights before Ryo came around. Isshin had watched as she exorcised demons from children and mediated bakemono divorces. Tatsuki was a court lady as well, though she'd buried that side of herself so deeply that it only came out once in a while. Even when it did come out, her emotions were hidden, as her mother's training demanded. Centuries of tradition and years of keeping ones feelings to themselves had left Tatsuki with only anger to show, impatience at the behavior of those who hadn't been raised in such a strict environment. Anyone who didn't know her well didn't understand when she was trying to express herself.

"You know Tsuki-chou, the first time you came to our house, Ichigo asked if you were a princess."

Mai had come to their house in a full visiting kimono, as had Tatsuki's nanny. The first to judge the spiritual energy of the Kurosaki family while the other simply kept an eye on the children. Once Mai had found them just and firmly in the Good category, she'd dropped the Onmyoji persona and turned into a mother desperate to give her child friends. Mai was ready to put Tatsuki into private tutoring before Ichigo showed up to the dojo. Consistently teased or shunned, the little girl was just as ready to go. She certainly would have been a different person without his son.

When the kids came running through the house from the front to the back yard, covered in dirt and mud, Mai hadn't even cared that her daughter's kimono was ruined. Tatsuki had almost as much dirt on her now, but instead of mud covered silk, she wore shorts and a tank top. Both of which could have easily come from Karin of Yuzu's closet with how small they were. Ryo was dressed much the same, and just like the slayer, she was all but melting from the heat.

"A princess?" Tatsuki asked. The shy moon was peeking out from behind the clouds of anger of toughness. Her spirit was calming and the wild thing inside of her was perking up. Isshin was wrong; Tatsuki did have the kind softness that Masaki had.

"Mmhm." Isshin started walking again, the teens quick to catch up. "I think he still calls you that sometimes. Usually in his sleep." Isshin dreaded the day Ichigo would find out he'd just spilled one of his deepest secrets to Tatsuki. "Of course, the trouble with princesses is that they always marry a prince or a samurai."

"Not always," Tatsuki argued quietly.

Mizuiro called out moments later, having spotted the old camp. A good thing too, because Tatsuki was tired of hearing people telling her to be patient with the idiot. The Tsukineko campgrounds didn't look too bad, compared to Chernobyl, but the lake was surprisingly clean.

"That's just weird," Ryo said as she approached the edge of the lake. "It's nice..."

"It's full of life too," Isshin peered down at the water. "Nothing else around the camp is."

"It almost feels...protected," Mizuiro's hand hovered over the water.

Tatsuki focused on the forest around them. One direction in particular was tugging at her mind and senses. The slayer turned away from it and looked over at the sun. They only had a few hours until the curse was sent out again; 12:05 every night. Tatsuki turned and looked through the scattered building of Tsukineko. One stood out just a bit more than the others, flag hanging limp from the roof and several dead potted planets lining the steps inside.

Tatsuki walked away from the lake and into the building that had caught her attention. A banner was still pinned to the back wall, welcoming campers while someone's suitcase was leaning against a chair. It looked like any school admin office, only dirty and trying much too hard to look fun and rustic. It also looked...off. Only a little bit off, but off. Like something had been moved or taken away. Not that the slayer had a previous version to compare it to. Maybe the Mina's lingering energy was throwing her off.

"You can still feel her, can't you?"

She looked over to see Mizuiro coming in. Ryo and Isshin were arguing about something back by the lake.

"Yeah," Tatsuki hopped over the desks to the other side. "She's waiting, for night, for us to find something, who knows."

"The energy doesn't seem angry, if that's any help."

"It's emotionally assuring," Tatsuki grinned.

The two started looking through the office for anything regarding camper information. Sure, Mina was probably their murder victim, but there was still no reason behind her disappearance and death. Ryo and Isshin came in a few moments later, the younger heading for the mass of file cabinets while the elder made a beeline for the scout master's office. It wasn't until Mizuiro knocked the suitcase over that any real headway was made. Out from the agd leather and brass fell something that was decidedly new.

"Pretty sure they didn't have solar phone chargers in the eighties..." Mizuiro lifted the offending object up for everyone to see. "Or Busty Asian Beauties..."

"Miki or Mafuyu?" Ryo asked out loud.

"My guess is Miki." Tatsuki knelt down in front of the suitcase and lifted up a small ragdoll. "Mafuyu doesn't strike me as the type to get sentimental."

She tossed it back only to have her eye caught by several scrolls and a book, each as antiquated as the last. The slayer pursed her lips and clicked the case shut before picking it up. Evening was coming a bit faster than they'd like and none of them wanted to meet Mina. Thankfully the hike back down the mountain was short and each made it into their basecamp before the sun set.

"Right, we got three creepy old scrolls and a creepy old book." Tatsuki pulled the items from the case and set them on the table. "Smut." the magazine was thrown over her shoulder. "Gadget." she set the charger down next to her own pack very carefully. "And a doll."

"The scrolls are clean," Mizuiro passed them to Ryo. "Book too."

"The contents aren't," Ryo snorted and set them down. "Busty Beauties for the geriatric and dusty."

Isshin let out a crow as he pulled something from the suitcase. A collection of prayer tags was added to their paraphernalia. Miki seemed to be aware and remorseful of his sister's death.

"Let's head to the Sendou house tomorrow," Isshin suggested as the kids started getting distracted by food. "We might find something else. Maybe a book of spells or ritual scrolls."

"Alright," Tatsuki nodded as she broke another piece of chocolate off. "Something about the birth records was a bit...odd."

~!~

The Sendou family home wasn't so decrepit as the rest of the town. Aged and in need of a dedicated remodeling, but still functional. The paint wasn't new, but it wasn't peeling, and the roof looked to have been shingled in the last few years. Miki was keeping the house clean.

"I'll bet he and Mafuyu are the ones who bought the land," Tatsuki pushed the front gate open. The gate didn't swing, it simply fell over. The slayer walked over it and up the garden path while Mizuiro kicked the fallen gate onto the lawn.

"Could be," Isshin hummed. "I'm not feeling any ghosts around here..."

Tatsuki knocked on the front door out of sheer habit before it too fell over onto the floor. A loud bang resounded through the deathly quiet house and all of them froze for a moment, expecting Mina to come out of the woodwork and start screaming. When nothing happened, they went further into the strange building, watching for anything and everything. For the most part it looked like it came from a horror film. The stereotypical creepy house with strange symbols painted upon all of the walls had combined the first floor into one big room. Isshin stopped dead in front of one, causing the kids to turn and look.

"What is it?" Tatsuki asked, leaning forward to look at it.

"A trap I learned in the academy. It's used for keeping spirits bound." Isshin turned and began looking around the room. "I felt something when we got here, but it wasn't Mina."

The teens stopped and waited for the shinigami to feel the thing out. While all three were gaining a sensitivity to spirits, the sheer power behind Isshin had all of them walking blind.

Isshin continued to pace over one area in particular before Tatsuki realized where the spirit might be. Giving him little to no warning, Tatsuki jerked the rug out from under him, revealing a rather sizable door beneath. She opened the door up too, impatience and slayer vibes taking over. The moment the door opened, she could feel it. The faint tingle of a shinigami soul was down in that pit. Isshin darted in before Tatsuki could even think to jump, but she was right behind him, as were the other two. Ryo's flashlight clicked on, shining on the withered form of a dying spirit.

Black robes were tattered and he looked more skeleton than human. Once shining hair hung in matted clumps and his sword was no where to be seen. Isshin bent down in front of him, eyes narrow as rage and power began to leak out from behind his walls. The shinigami on the ground barely stirred, not until the energy was directed towards him, Isshin doing something to share his own energy with the frailer one. A smoothie was handed over once the man looked less corpse-like.

"Hm."

"What?" Ryo asked as they watched the shinigami drink slowly.

"Just thinking that he looks less dead," Tatsuki answered.

Ryo made the same humming sound before something very annoying happened.

The ladder they climbed down was kicked into the hole and door above them slammed shut before the rattle of iron chains against wood made the slayer roar with rage. Heavy footsteps thumped above them and out the door.

"No use." The raspy voice of their cellmate was barely heard above Tatsuki's growls. "The chains...they bind spirits."

"Do I look like a spirit?" Tatsuki snapped, picking up the ladder and setting it against the wall.

"It's best not to argue with chojou," Isshin set a hand of the other shinigami's shoulder. "Especially no that she's a Slayer."

Tatsuki rammed her fist up through the wooden door, the primal growls of the slayer inside escaping her own mouth. No one trapped her in a basement and got away with it. Especially not someone who had trapped a soul, murder his sister, and then tried to feed her to a shinigami on the edge of hollowfication. She was going to beat his ass.

"Tatsuki, if you leave us in this hole, I'm going to kill you."

The slayer stopped halfway to the door before turning around and helping the others out. The top few rungs had broken from where she'd gripped the ladder too tight and upon closer inspection it wasn't fit to hold anyone.

"Sorry Ryo."

Isshin had to hand their Shinigami guest up before he and Mizuiro could come out. With great care, the two girls pulled him out from the dark depths of his prison. His eyes were screwed tight against the light that he'd been kept from for so long and his tattered robes were doing too little to cover him. A good deal more than they'd bee before Isshin had shared his energy, but not enough that the girls felt altogether alright with looking at him in broad daylight.

Tatsuki's hunt was put off in favor of getting him to the inn and feeding him something.

"Choushiro Kirishima," the slowly recovering Shinigami spoke up. "I am...was responsible for the safety of the villages in these mountains, all the way from Minakami to this, the village of Rougetsu."

He was eating yogurt and applesauce from squeezy tubes and sippy pouches and a bottle of powerade was cradled in his lap. If he could keep those down, they were going to give him a banana in about fifteen minutes. He looked grateful for everything, and incredibly distraught with every word he told his former captain and the tenshi.

"I was passing through this village during my sixth year when I saw a maiden being hunted by a hollow, I'd not seen any spirits in this village, much less hollows in the vicinity. I should have stopped and thought, I should have realized I felt no malign energy coming from the creature."

"A human was in trouble, anyone would have gone."

Choushiro looked at Isshin with something akin to hope before continuing his story.

"The maid was a witch of considerable power. I was captured and...I sired many children for her clan...I'm sorry taicho."

"That would explain the weird birth records," Tatsuki leaned back against the wall. Midoriko was resting against her thigh, filled with excitement for the upcoming fight. "It also explains why Mina hasn't gone all darkside yet. Well, not entirely darkside."

"She's a good girl," Choushiro defended. "She was my only company for many years, and now, she is the only one who cares to remember me."

"So, you've had a screeching ghost bringing you scraps for the last thirty years?" Ryo asked. She handed over a banana to the man and Tatsuki noticed that her mirror was hanging from her belt. "I bet the conversation has been magnificent."

"It doesn't explain who locked us in though. Mina only came at us during the night." Mizuiro looked out the window to the dimming town. "If she wanted us to leave, why lock us in with her father?"

"Mina cannot speak."

That simple statement made all three of them stop. Information was added to their case, sorted through, ideas crossed out mentally until finally Ryo let out a gasp. The codex came out seconds later and their guest leaned over to inspect the very strange device as she started scrolling through pages and files.

"Isshin's magic viruses aren't too far off," she finally pulled a file up. "Sort of like Tatsuki's hair curse, but I saw this a while back."

"A guilt curse?" Tatsuki asked, leaning closer to the tablet. "So, Miki and Mafuyu are feeling guilty, and because of their natural abilities, it's manifesting as a curse."

"Normally it's based on survivors guilt," Ryo handed the tablet off to the slayer. "And one of them might be feeling that..."

"Mafuyu," Choushiro nodded. "He often hid Mina in my cell to keep her from her twin."

That made everyone pause. The whole hunt was officially on it's head. They were hunting down a mute half-shinigami girl who didn't know what she was, rescuing her dad/granddad/etc, and the asshole brother was actually the nice, protective one.

"So, uh, Miki..."

"My son...lacks humanity," he summarized. There were a good many details left unspoken, details they truly didn't wish to know. "The moment he dies, he will be a hollow."

"We'll let Ichigo know," Tatsuki nodded. "Finish up, alright? Tomorrow morning I'll head into the camp with Gifu and you three can go explore the Sendou house again."

Mizuiro started preparing their supper, flicking on the camp stove and heating up canned goods as the girls went into research mode and Isshin reverted to his captain-y persona. Choushiro didn't seem to feel better when Isshin hopped out of his body though. He seemed more frantic and confused, and everyone heard the story of Kurosaki-taicho leaving soul society for Masaki. Most of it Tatsuki had already heard or figured out, but the rest of her tenshi were enraptured by the tale. Until Tatsuki realized that Masaki was a hunter. Isshin didn't outright say it, but the implications were there.

The shrill sound of too many voices came from the door of the inn as they sat down to eat.

"Look who's coming to dinner," Tatsuki scowled at the door. "Oi, Kirishima, if I let her in, can you make her less crazy?"

"Of course," he nodded. "I just, ask that you let me escort her to seireitei."

"Duh," Tatsuki broke the salt line in front of the door.

Mina glided in as soon as the line broke, savage and scared until she saw her father sitting on the floor. All it took was an open hand for her to join the man. It took a good deal of time before the girl stopped fidgeting and longer still until she'd relaxed enough that she would accept something to eat. They were all quiet as she took her place and ate, whispering back and forth as the many voiced mute girl made sounds at her father.

"We'll have to get those voices back where they belong," Isshin whispered to Tatsuki as she started on yet another bowl of stew.

"They'll probably float back once we take care of business," she spoke after swallowing. "Unless you think she can give them back?"

"That, chojou, is exactly why you need to marry Ichigo." Isshin only laughed at her annoyed blush. He quieted somewhat when they saw Mina tugging on Choushiro's sleeve and pointing at them. "Mina-chan, this is my daughter in law, Tsuki-chan."

Mina looked to her father once more, questioning.

"Yes, he has children too."

She glanced at Mizuiro with a raised brow and doubt.

"No, no," Isshin shook his head. "Mizuiro is one of Tsuki's vassals. My son is visiting with his friends."

"Soon, we will go and see my friends," Choushiro patted her hand. "Kurosaki-taicho is going to make sure we stay together."

Tatsuki woke up in the middle of the night. The smell of danger had tickled her nose and the slayer had come to the forefront once more. Not so close tot he surface as last time, but enough so that Tatsuki could feel the person running around the inn. She sat up when a flash of orange caught her eye. The bastard was going to burn them out!

"Oi!" she shouted, causing everyone to rise. "Fire!"

Mina began to shake wildly her tenshi scrambled to grab the important things. Codex and mirror and weapons were thrown into a pack while Midoriko and Judy were at Tatsuki's side in a moment. Shoes were thrown on and Choushiro darted out of the inn first, checking for the best way they could escape without notice. Out the side door he led them, ducking and dodging between debris as the nearer buildings started to blaze.

A gunshot resounded from in front of the inn and the group of people froze as they felt a new spirit join them. The twist from human to hollow was fast; Tatsuki barely noticed that he'd been anything but. Isshin hopped out of his body and darted into the center of town to fight the hollow.

"Keep an eye on things," Tatsuki ordered the others before heading out as well. There was too much flesh on Miki's body to burn him, but the creature was too fast for Isshin to take him out right now. Her slayer senses could barely keep up with it, but Midoriko had been doing some awfully interesting things lately. Including cutting ghosts back in Scotland.

"Oi! Miki!"

The hollow turned to her and roared silently. A pair of horns twisted around one another before pointing down to create trails in the dirt. Just like Sora, it's body was serpentine and spindly arms were more for grabbing than moving. The creature lunged towards her much faster than she'd expected, but it was enough to let Isshin up from the ground where he lay trapped. Each lunge was faster and Tatsuki was much too tired to keep dodging. It wasn't any great surprise when one of it's claws caught her in the shoulder, piercing though to scrape against the bone. The feeling of wood splintering against her back made the spot in her vision come faster, colors added to image before black took over.

~!~!~

Ichigo walked into the house thoroughly upset. Tatsuki had disappeared to Scotland for almost two weeks. The last time he'd seen her, felt her spirit and magic, was when he'd pulled her from beneath Haibara. Openly weeping and covering both of them in blood, he heard Ogihci roar from deep inside. He hadn't let anyone near her for almost an hour Rukia told him; all he could remember was her iron grip in his haori and her shaking body in his arms.

She left the same night they returned to Karakura.

For a few hours she'd been back. He could feel her return even when he couldn't pick anyone else out of the city. He finished his work at Urahara's and successfully ditched the others only to find out she'd come and asked his father for help fighting a ghost. His Father!

"Tsuki-chou," Isshin's voice echoed in from the clinic. "You need to sit still."

Ichigo dropped his bag and ran into the sterile set of rooms. Tatsuki was laying on a bed with an IV drip going into one arm and a chunk of wood coming out of her shoulder. Yuzu was injecting a rather large dose of morphine into the bag and Ryo was trying to keep Tatsuki's attention. It was only somewhat working, as every movement of the branch in her arm took her back to the pain she felt. She was covered in dirt and blood and leaves, dressed only in a pair of tiny shorts and a crimson bra; Ichigo didn't know what he felt anymore. He could hardly figure out what to think about the two spirits sitting on the chairs across the room. It really wasn't important, not when Tatsuki was swaying and bleeding all over the clinic. He didn't think twice before he was by her side, helping her to lay still on the bed.

"How the hell can she handle that much?" Ichigo asked as he took the empty syringe from his sister.

"She keeps burning through the drugs," Karin answered as she came in with more gauze. "The council is sending replacements and a couple doses of slayer strength serum for next time."

"Tsuki, I thought you weren't going to hug anymore trees." He ignored Karin's 'next time' in favor of making sure Tsuki made it through 'this time'.

"I didn't...that, fucking dick threw me into one." It was something else to watch a persons eyes glaze over and burn clear so quickly. His father pulled one of the larger chunks out and Ichigo had to hold her down as she screamed. She buried her head into his shoulder before she spoke again. "I don't like ghosts. I just don't."

"No?" he asked. Ryo looked grateful for the change of duty, but she glared at him as she went to sit down. Whatever. "Why not?"

"They always fuck me over," Tatsuki almost sang. Her voice was melodic as the new batch of Morphine went in. "Always, cursed hair, branch in the back, claws in the front, scars...fuckin'...Look! Lookit what Sora did to my back!" Tatsuki pointed to her side where creamy skin was marred by an angry looking hand print he'd mistaken for dirt or dried blood. Up so close, with her tracing it, he wondered how he'd never seen it before. It was huge, spanning across her torso and down into the back of her pants. "It burned right through my clothes...I have a thumb on my stomach. One in my shoulder earlier." Tatsuki jumped when Isshin pulled the final hunk of wood out from her shoulder. Her IV pulled loose from her arm but Ichigo replaced it quick enough, noticing that his father was starting on the small pieces. "I don't like ghosts. They're mean."

She was tilting as morphine and pain combined and began to render her unconscious. Her petite frame leaning heavily against his own until her eyes fluttered shut and soft, pained, snores were coming out. Her driver came in as Isshin was finishing up but Ryo was the one to make Ichigo release her, Karin and Yuzu helping her to wrap a kimono around the unconscious slayer. At least the bossy bookworm was letting him carry Tatsuki out to the car. He could see what she meant by 'in her shoulder' now that he had her in his arms. A wide bandage was covering her shoulder, pinking where blood was escaping the wound. Is this what being a slayer meant? Ryo helped him lay her down in the back seat before Tatsuki was taken from him, back to the home he often thought about sharing with her.

When the car turned the corner, he went back inside, wondering why he was always covered in blood these days.

"Ichigo, I need you to drop the files on my desk off at the station tomorrow." Isshin threw the last of the bandages away and dumped the tools into a basin of alcohol. "Make sure Kudo gets them otherwise Tsuki-chou got ran through for nothing. I have to run to Urahara's to take these two home."

"Yeah," Ichigo grumbled. He didn't like Kudo or the way the detective looked at Tatsuki. Especially not the way the detective's eyes roamed her body, settling on her chest or hips. Ichigo would bet the man might run if he saw... "Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Did mom ever...did she ever get hurt because you weren't paying attention during a fight?" Had a hollow ever scarred her?

"No," Isshin replied after a moment. "Misaki was a bit like Tsuki-chou. She'd rush into a fight before I even knew what was going on."

"She knew about hollows?"

"Ah! One question a night my love-sick son!"

Ichigo was forced to dodge as his father attacked him, fully aware that Isshin was dodging the question. He should have asked about the spirits sitting on the couch were.

~!~!~

Judy is what Tatsuki decided to name her stake, considering it's made from the Judas Tree.

Mina! Will be coming back at some point, not as a fully fledged shinigami, but she's going to play a rather nice role in the slayer storyline. Choushiro might pop in during the beast sword arc, but I'm really not sure.

And yes, I know. There are other fics in dire need of an update or six. This chapter went through at least 3 rewrites, first draft there was a mu-onna trying to get her kids back, second draft the mu-onna was exacting revenge for a little boy who'd been sacrificed. There was also a 'Scooby Doo and Jason Too!' chapter drawn up, but it was a bit too funny for the story I had in my head. Hopefully the next chapter will end up a tiny bit comical. But look at it this way! The Big Talk is that much closer :)

During the check up scene, Tatsuki is wearing Diesel, look 4 of the F/W '13 collection for anyone who's interested. Ryo is wearing Anthroplogie.

Does anyone remember a Sesshomaru/Kagome fic where she's sent back in time and becomes his nanny/pet? They play a game where they try to find a button...


	16. VooDoo

VooDoo

* * *

Tatsuki's head turned to the side as she heard something sneaking up on her. Slowly it crept, trying to avoid detection, but she could hear the twigs straining underneath it's feet. She could smell the creature too. When it lunged for her, the slayer spun, fingers finding purchase on it's shoulder as a scream of rage came from it's throat.

"Tsuki-nee!" Karin struggled against her.

"You're still too loud," Tatsuki laughed. Ready though she was for Karin's attack, Yuzu's caught her by surprise. The fair haired twin had jumped from the tree above onto Tatsuki's back, taking all three of them to the ground. The point of a foam stake touched Tatsuki's back before she could recover; the twins had won.

The entire thing had started after the Tsukineko incident. Tatsuki had come to Friday dinner, just as Isshin asked, and the twins had started in on her. The story they'd gotten from their father was bare bones and her injury had not put them at ease. Not until they saw for themselves that her slayerness had healed her up. They'd poked and prodded at her healed shoulder until finally, Karin asked her how to fight off a vampire.

"That was much better," Tatsuki admitted as the twins climbed off of her. "But also very dangerous for your bait."

She'd tried getting out of it. Oh yes she had, but Isshin had decided it was a lovely idea only a few minutes into her argument. So here she was, teaching the girls how to fight vampires and avoid other icksome creatures. She wasn't taking them on any hunts, god no, but she could teach them basics in broad daylight. She could also cover them in crosses and silver and lock them in a room guarded by UV lamps, ofuda, holy water sprinklers, and surrounded by salt. They weren't so fond of the second idea.

Especially once they saw the collection of sparkly things she'd accumulated since becoming a slayer. It was no great secret that the dead were often buried with their jewelry. Some of it was especially nice, real diamonds and gold, once she'd even collected a platinum band from a former businessman. It's not like a pile of dust needed it. Not that she did either; half the time she didn't even realize she'd picked it up until she was pulling it out of her pocket. The twins had promised not to tell on her so long as they got something out of it. Little thieves. To make things worse, they'd somehow convinced her to 'reward' them every time they landed a kill.

"Tsuki-nee, I saw something weird while I was up in the tree." Yuzu pointed up into the fronds. "It was a little bag...it felt...bad. And hungry."

"Get in the house," Tatsuki started for the tree.

They didn't argue with her, but she didn't hear the door close after they'd gone inside. Climbing the tree was simple enough, but finding the little bag Yuzu discovered was a tiny bit harder. More a parcel than a bag, it was made from a materiel that looked just like the tree bark. That her twiddle had seen it at all was impressive and a little bit worrying. She grabbed the item from where it rest, hissing as it tingled through her hand and up her arm. It was something evil. The slayer hopped out from the tree and jogged over to the patio table so she could send a picture to her mother.

"What is it?" Yuzu asked from her right.

"It's bad isn't it?" Karin asked from her left.

"You two are supposed to be in the house," the slayer scowled.

Neither twin cared, instead moving around the table carefully as Tatsuki sent a picture of it to her mother. She wasn't about to send it to Ryo, she and Keigo were in the middle of 'peace talks', and Mizuiro was having brunch with his family in Naruki City. It left Tatsuki at the manor with two very questioning kids and a creepy, evil, bag.

"Karin, run inside and get the codex from the living room." The girl raised a brow at her. "The iPad with a billion stickers all over it."

She did as told while Yuzu and Tatsuki waited patiently for a response. It took a bit longer than Tatsuki would have liked, and the response she got was Not from her mother. It was from someone named Dresden telling her, in English, that Mai was unable to come to the phone. Tatsuki scowled at that. Dresden was her mother's number one annoyance, and he hadn't even told her what the damn thing was. The slayer waved Yuzu away from the table when the bag tilted and began to sparkle. Even if he was annoying, and terrible at Japanese, and equally bad at walking a straight line, Dresden was what she had to work with right now.

It took her a few minutes to figure out how to tell him about it in English; Babel spells had spoiled her. Tatsuki deleted her message and replaced it instead with instructions to cast a Babel Spell. Five minutes passed before she called her mother's phone.

"Harry Dresden, how-"

"I have a evil bag and I need to know what it is."

There was a brief silence before he answered.

"What does it feel like?"

"Evil. Not twisted evil, or tainted, or warped or shadowy. Just, evil."

"And dead!" Yuzu chimed in.

"Apparently it feels dead too...Yuzu, how...never mind, just come back over here." Tatsuki had to pull Yuzu over to her and grab Karin by the back of the shirt to keep her from going over. "I have an evil, dead, creepy bag hanging from the tree in my backyard. Oh, and it's sparkling."

"Check to see if there's more," Dresden instructed her. "I can wait."

Tatsuki handed the phone off to the twins before heading back into the yard. She could hear them questioning the wizard on the other end, asking no few personal questions before insulting him in a way only children could get away with. As Tatsuki wandered, looking for the evil, and apparently dead, bags, she wondered if perhaps she'd gotten used to the feeling of death.

She returned to the back porch with four more bags in tow, all of them bundled up in her shirt so she wouldn't have to touch them. Getting the phone back wasn't as easy as handing it over, but Tatsuki gave the new information to Dresden.

"Five...you might be dealing with a necromancer or a voodoo priest," he answered her. "And your sisters are really bossy."

"Right, so how do I get rid of these things?" Tatsuki asked. "Salt and fire? Moving water?"

"Try all three, but the fire needs to be built from either peach wood or yew at either midnight or noon."

"Right, I'll just wait for eleven hours." Tatsuki let out a faint growl before calming down. "What do they do? Why are they at My house?"

"Depending on the contents, they can do most anything. But don't try to open one!" Tatsuki's hand froze just above the drawstring of a bag. "Usually they draw something towards them. My guess, someone is trying to get something to attack you. I suggest warding the house up and keeping your sisters inside for the rest of the day, maybe you could flee to holy ground or-"

"Uhm, Slayer?" Tatsuki snorted. "Hunting things is my specialty, didn't mom tell you that?"

There was another silence on his end. "She might have said something...uhm, good luck Miss. I'll tell your..."

Tatsuki hung up on him when the energy of the bags began to pulse and the sparks began to shoot off of the table surface. Karin went inside for salt and Yuzu made a beeline for the chest that held the holy water. They were pretty handy to have around to be honest. Getting supplies without even a word of instruction and very quick on the uptake. No. No, thinking about their usefulness. Not even when Karin started making a ring of salt instead of handing the container to Tatsuki. Which she really should have done.

"Here," Yuzu handed the squirt gun to Tatsuki.

The slayer waited until Karin had backed away before squirting the items. The salt had dimmed the pulsing just a bit, but the holy water made them spark and snap even more. Tatsuki turned and pushed the twiddles inside, following close behind them. How the hell had a bunch of voodoo curse bags ended up in the trees around her house? Wasn't this place warded?

Wait.

"Son of a bitch," Tatsuki leaned against the counter. The trees they'd been stashed in were the ones growing just outside of the wards. That must have been why she couldn't feel them. She was so used to the energy of her clan and so exhausted whenever she came home that the dark, dead, energy had never even registered. They'd must have done this just after Keigo left them; he was always complaining about the way her house made him itch. Five blocks down, he'd said, he could feel every spell that had been cast on the house, and some few that had been cast on the general area.

Tatsuki looked down at her phone before deciding to take the twins home. She wasn't going to interrupt Ryo and Keigo right now. She knew what she had to do, and if they were drawing something in, she had Midoriko to chop it up.

She grabbed the sword up before she left the house, just in case it wasn't afraid of the sun.

* * *

"We're home!" Yuzu cheered as she went inside.

Ichigo looked up to see his sister's being escorted by a very cautious slayer. Her sword was partly unwrapped, hilt peeking out from the silken wrappings, and Tatsuki kept glancing over her shoulder at the bushes.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Tsuki-nee has someone trying to kill her," Karin sat on the back of the couch. She was covered in dirt and there were several scrapes along her jaw. "Voodoo this time."

"No," Yuzu argued from the kitchen. "Someone is trying to lure something to kill Tsuki-nee for them."

"Lucky for me, witches don't count as human," Tatsuki shut the door tightly. Yuzu had popped out from the kitchen with a container of salt and just as many scrapes. A bit less dirt though. "No worries about slayage."

"Voodoo?" he asked. Ichigo wasn't as relaxed as Tatsuki and the twins were. It must have shown in his voice from the looks he was getting. Something between hope and worry from his sisters while anger and frustration came from the woman in front of him. There was something else in her eyes too. Something that made them shine.

"Possibly," she admitted. "Either way, I'm burning the bags tonight at midnight..." Tatsuki went into the back yard while Yuzu and Karin continued spreading salt.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ichigo demanded when he saw her grab a hold of a tree branch.

"I need to burn them with peach wood," Tatsuki sighed. "You have a peach tree."

"You're just going to hack a branch off?"

"Just a little one. It's not like it makes fruit." Her sword glinted for the barest of seconds before the branch in her hand was separated from the tree. The enchanted metal rest against her shoulder as she tapped the leafy frond against his nose. "See? Little branch, no harm done."

"I'm coming with you. Dad's in the clinic, he can watch the girls."

"What?" Tatsuki stopped just short of his fence. She was going to hop it, just as she always had. "No way."

"You need someone to act as bait," Ichigo continued towards the same fence. "Keigo told me about his talk with Ryo today, and Mizuiro is almost always with you these days. The fact that he's not here now means he won't be here later either."

Tatsuki scowled at him, the slow burning rage building inside of her with every step closer. He could see the thoughts inside of her head flickering behind her eyes. The beast inside of her was moving around too, prowling back and forth as the girl tapped her foot. The branch was shoved at his face once more before she jumped over the fence and started for home.

When they got to her house, he could feel why she was so wary. Someone had infiltrated her safe haven while she was there.

"This wasn't around when I ran patrol last night," Ichigo followed her through the house. "I ran past here at ten."

"I got in around two," Tatsuki admitted. "It wasn't here then either."

"Just you?"

Tatsuki went onto the back porch instead of answering him, a string of curses passing her lips as she grabbed for the jar of salt on the counter behind him. The pile of bags on her patio table was burning through a ring of salt, bright blue sparks flickering out as their aura spread. She spread salt around the pile of bags before Ichigo took it from her and started circling the ground around the table itself.

"I was gone ten minutes, max," she sighed.

"Can we move them someplace else?" Ichigo asked. "An abandoned warehouse, or a cemetery?"

"I can barely hold them for more than a minute." Tatsuki picked up a squirt gun and shot at the pile, satisfaction lighting her face as the bags hissed ad sparked. "My arm is numb after just a few seconds."

So she was going to wait it out. Just sit in her back yard with her sword and kill whatever came for her until she could burn the lures. In fact, she was sitting right now, nodachi lain across her lap was she continued squirting the current bane of her existence. He could argue with her, try to get her to leave the house and go some place safe, but he'd probably end up shirtless on his couch again if he tried that.

"Do you have an extra sword?" He asked finally.

"Yeah, it's a standard katana."

"That's fine."

Dusk had fallen before anything showed up. Both were grateful for it. Hours of sitting across from one another, waiting for someone to speak on th white elephant that was their relationship. If you could even call it that. Sure, they had some sort of '-ship', but Tatsuki was pretty damn sure it was never going to go back to the way it was. The chances of it turning into something she wanted were even fainter.

It was as he dropped the kerosine doused peach wood onto the lures that the first one rustled in the bushes. Just at the edge of the barrier, she could see rheumy eyes watching her from the foliage. A trashcan fell over in front of the house and when someone screamed, the creature in the back and several more rushed towards the sound.

"Son of a bitch," Tatsuki ran to the front of the house. A pack of rotting creatures had taken a woman to the ground, feeding on her as they hissed and gurgled at each other. "Oi!"

All of them turned towards her, red mouths hanging slack before they snarled and came at her. Midoriko moved quickly, severing limbs from the beasts and causing them to howl in pain. Each howl only summoned more of them and their female victim rose to join their assault on Tatsuki and Ichigo. She ducked and dodged the grabbing hands and clicking teeth. Her sword didn't stick in the bones and her partner didn't need her to keep an eyes on his safety. Having that made it easy to let the Slayer inside of her take over. Every slice was exact, her training coming forward and instinct ruling above all else. The final creature fell beneath her, chest supporting her knee while her sword sliced through it's neck. Rotting fluids and fresh meat clung to her clothes while one scent rode over that of her prey. A new prey, male, young, heartbeat rushing as he stood at her side.

Tatsuki gripped the hilt of her sword until she pulled herself back into her body. The hunger was getting stronger and he would never understand what she wanted from him. A hunger for flesh at away at her, like some sick spell that came with the slayer package free of charge.

"Shower, I'm going to call Kudo and have him take care of this."

She knew her voice was sharp, she'd had to bite every word out to keep from simply taking him to the ground. She waited for him to go inside of the house before she stood up. He must have known something was up, he'd hesitated before he went in, he'd even stepped towards her. She'd gone through the hunger a hundred times before but it was always worse when she was near to him. She was slow in her movements towards the house, checking for any other beasties before she went in, any they'd magically missed. There was only the sound of the shower running upstairs and her blood rushing through her veins.

The call to Kudo was quick enough. Some of the cops at the precinct had helped her out before when Zenigata was still around. They'd help out this time too. Ichigo came back into the kitchen as she was about to hang up. He'd gone into her closet and reclaimed his red shirt and a pair of his shorts. The shirt was stretched out in the chest from too many late night hunts followed by lazily crawling into bed. The shorts however...she kept those with her nightclothes. As in her panty drawer.

"The uh, showers free," he looked at the wall. The was a blush across his cheeks.

She needed one.

"Stay in the house," she put the phone down. "And make sure the salt line..."

"Go," he smiled at her. A real smile that made the hunger keen inside of her and her heart flutter madly. She dashed up the stairs to the bathroom, not at all trusting herself in the moment.

* * *

The shower had done little good in the long run, Ichigo realized. Tatsuki's hour long bathing session and his own seven minute rinse had been nice, at least he assumed hers was nice, but about three hours later, another swarm came to the house. More clothes were stained in rotting blood and rancid meat. The hunger he kept seeing in her eyes was back and Ogihci was rumbling deep inside of him in response.

He might have seen what that hunger was if not for the white haired ass that had been crouching atop the neighbors car.

"I guess I'll have to make some more." Whitey grinned to show a mouth full of fangs.

"Or you could just let me behead you like a good little..." Tatsuki paused. "What the hell are you?"

"Besides a pain in the ass," Ichigo jerked his katana from a body. "And whats with the zombies?"

"I'm going to be the one who kills the slayer," he grinned. "And when the time comes, I will be greatly rewarded."

"How about a little one right now?" Tatsuki asked. "I could do something about that awful hair, maybe do some dental work?"

"Perhaps next time," the vampire laughed before jumping away.

The two teens stood there for a moment, both feeling for the return of the hopping fang, only to realize he'd literally hopped away. Like Tigger or Superman. What the hell kind of vampire just jumped away? Tatsuki didn't seem to know either, but when she went inside of the manor, she didn't go to clean up, she went through the kitchen out to the backyard.

"Here," she said, handing him a very girly looking ipad. "Hit the codex, put in what we know."

Ichigo watched her for a second as she poured more kerosine onto the pile of lure bags. There was ten minutes before midnight hit and he knew, somehow, that whitey was going to be dead by dawn. Ichigo sat down on a free lawn chair and tried to avoid getting blood on the screen as he searched. Tatsuki had gone back inside, coming out a few seconds later with a Very ancient book while he focused on the many fanged, jumping, human-looking, capable of speech, monsters there were in the world. And there were a lot. All of them aggressive and at least half of the species credited with taking out a slayer or two. Some of them in particular made a game of hunting slayers down.

Ichigo put another filter into the search, unwilling to let the danger of Tatsuki's duty fill his head.

"Kyonshi," he spoke up as she threw an entire book of flaming matches onto the pile. The flames turned bright blue as each bag screamed and screeched in protest. They jumped about and moved, trying to extinguish themselves.

"And?" Tatsuki was looking at him expectantly. She had that look in her eyes again. He'd seen it once before when they danced at the club; it had been white hot and focused then. A slow burning heat he could have stared at for the rest of his life.

"It's a jumping vampire from China," he showed her the picture. "They create a few ghouls to do their dirty work, sitting back while they go out and get dinner."

"Whitey seemed to have more than just a few minions," Tatsuki started flipping through the book she'd brought out. Blood smeared the pages with every movement, but when he leaned close, he saw that not all of it came from her hands. The thing was stained with all manner of fluids and powders.

"Most of them seem to stick to one or two," Ichigo read through. "But the older ones can create at least ten at a time. Of course, the older they are, the less time they can spend outside or awake."

Tatsuki's hands stilled in their page turning for the briefest of moments.

"Right." She handed the book over to him, revealing an ancient protection spell. "You're going to have to cast this, my spirit isn't so great for spellwork. Also, I don't live at your house." He almost opened his mouth to argue, almost, but his words from before came back to him. She was in charge of monster slaying and he was bait boy. If she picked up on his hesitation she didn't show it. "This thing was out until at least two thirty if he's the one who placed the hex bags. I doubt he's going to attack again soon."

"He'll probably try to bolster his ranks," Ichigo agreed. "Maybe even collect the ingredients for new lures."

The two of them headed out into the night, one to try his hand at casting, the other to watch and make sure he did it right. They'd had to go inside to cast, to make sure the family members were included in the 'default settings' she'd told him. Neither of them brought up that she'd be there. His family slept through the casting and the quiet argument they'd had about wearing something clean. At some point she'd relented, grabbing one of his mother's old sundresses from the laundry room while he changed in his room.

"You look nice," he couldn't help but say. The dress would be stained before they finished tonight, he knew that, but it looked right on her. Even with the small streaks of blood that had come from her hair. It was down for the first time since her birthday party, and even with the chunks of flesh and matted blood, she was beautiful.

_A queen._

"Liar," she snorted. She flicked a piece of a finger at him to further her point. "Come on, I want to run by Kitsune-san's, Heron and Mouse might know something."

* * *

They knew a good deal more than something.

As Tatsuki sat at the bar with them, listening and questioning, Ichigo was placed under the scrutiny of one very particular fox spirit. Good, it let her focus on something besides him. Kyonshi didn't come out too often, and they came to Japan even less. Too many spiritualists and ghost hunters, too many wards and protective barriers for them to move around comfortably.

They were easy enough to kill. Any housewife could do it.

"Seriously?" Tatsuki asked.

"Ah, that's why Kyonshi usually target men or children." Heron took a deep drink from his tea. "All it takes is some red beans."

"Rice and vinegar," Mouse mentioned. "I've heard umeboshi work too."

"You're telling me that I need to throw onigiri at this thing until it's dead?"

"My no," Heron chuckled. "That just weakens it. You'll need to chop his head off with a wooden sword."

"Made from peach wood," Mouse shook his finger at her. "I suppose you could bash it in with a peach club too."

"Super duper," Tatsuki sighed in her seat. Heron and Mouse were arguing now about which was the best way to take out a Kyonshi; bashing or beheading. Kitsune joined in a few minutes in, suggesting that a morningstar might work too.

"Yuzu has some leftovers in the fridge," Ichigo spoke up for the first time. After his comment earlier, he hadn't spoken a word he didn't have to. He hadn't said anything regarding her source of information or the fact that he was in fact eating ramen given to him by a fox demon. "I doubt she'd mind if we left a note."

"We can nab some from the Quik Stop too," Tatsuki sighed. A magic slinging, ghoul making, hopping Chinese vampire was too ridiculous. Way too ridiculous. "How often do Kyonshi cast spells?"

"They don't," kitsune-san finally replied. "They lose too much of their spirit energy. With every ghoul they create, they lose still more."

Someone was working with him. Tatsuki thanked the three of them as she paid, waving for Ichigo to follow her before she stepped out into the night. Midoriko was practically vibrating against her back and there was something curling inside of Ichigo. Something that made him nervous. The more he focused on it, the worse it made her feel in return.

"Can you just relax?" she asked him finally. "You're making me edgy."

"Sorry." He didn't even know what he was apologizing for. The fact that he was trying to put a lid on his inner self only proved that. She grabbed him by the shoulder, turning him to face her.

"Ichigo, whatever is crawling around inside of you, you've got to accept it." She let her hand fall slightly, resting on his bicep instead. "If I tried fighting the Slayer, I'd be crazy. It's part of me. Just like that...whatever, is part of you. So make peace with it or go away, because you're little head game is putting me on edge."

That seemed to be enough to make both sides calm down. Not completely, there was still frustration inside of him, but they did as she told them and that was all she wanted right now. She also wanted to figure out which goddamned cemetery all these ghouls had come from. The morgue's were clean according to the doc, and no few of the zombies were bordering on skeletal. They had to have come from nearby if they'd stayed on in piece so long.

"Maybe they're in a mausoleum?" Ichigo suggested once his inner battle was down to a simmer. They were at the third and last cemetery on this end of town. All they'd come across were normal vampires too stupid to rat on the kyonshi. "They're kind of built like a fortress, and the clothes everyone was wearing..."

"I don't hit those up very often," Tatsuki admitted. It was true that they'd been dressed a bit nicer than your average newborn. Their jewelry was nicer too. "Vampires would rather gather in crypts."

"There's one not too far from our neighborhood, near the river." He started towards it. "Maybe you can rob another old dead woman."

"Oh fuck off." Tatsuki caught up with him quick enough, though she was trying not to pout over his teasing. "She had a nice ring."

"Just admit that you're a crypt klepto," he grinned at her.

~!~

When the first fingers of dawn spread across the sky, the teens made their move. Into the stone building they went, Tatsuki recognizing what it really was in seconds. It was a palace of death. Abandoned years ago, stone columns were showing signs of age and weakness. One in particular was showing the rebar that held it up. The land around it had turned swampy and the smell of death, plant and animal, welled up inside of her nose. It clung to her skin and permeated her hair. This was her life. Wading through the dead so the living would see the dawn.

She was glad she'd kept her boots on. Anything else would have gotten stuck in the mud. Mud that was clinging to both her hair and the formerly white dress she'd been wearing.

"I swear, I'll clean it," Tatsuki grumbled as she pushed herself out from the muck.

"Same here," he tried wiping the mud off of his shirt. It was no use. "Let's get this over with. Bait Boy is tired of being Mud Boy."

"I think it's an improvement."

She slung a clump at him and smirked when it hit him in the back of the head. The wet shlup made him stop in his place and turn slowly to face her. Incredulous indignation covered his face and her giggles burst out completely. How long had it been since she'd seen him looking so...normal? He giggles stopped when the wet slop came into contact with her chest. Mud and scum dripped down into her neckline to pool inside of her bra. This time he was the one laughing at her. Chuckling as she scowled and sobering when she started pulling it from her bra. No, not sobering, she could see pink dusting his cheeks.

"We should get going," He pulled her up the rest of the way. "Before I decide I'm never eating onigiri again."

"You wouldn't be alone."

The door to the building was only barely hanging to a rotted frame while the other had fallen to the ground. Ichigo took the flare he'd brought with him and threw it inside, both pulling their swords when the shrieks of ghouls rang out. They hated light, they were attracted to loud noises, and best of all, they could smell living flesh. A regular night time predator. They two of them waited by the doors as the ghouls shrieked and fled. Only four of them; Just as Ichigo had guessed, the kyonshi hadn't had time to make more. Now for the tricky part of killing the bastard.

The shinigami and slayer poured over every inch of the dead palace, checking inside of coffins and alcoves, and in some cases ripping up loose flooring. But no matter how hard they looked, or how much Tatsuki tried to make her slayer senses focus, they come up empty handed. He'd skipped out, leaving some ghouls behind to keep them occupied and give them false hope.

Tatsuki punched a wall in frustration, brow raising when several stones fell from the ceiling. Up she followed the trail of debris, wondering how the hell she'd missed the gaping hole in the ceiling. She wasn't even sure if she should call it a ceiling with the as big as the hole was. Sharp eyes caught the pale skin of a hand dangling over the edge.

"Give me a boost," Tatsuki waved him over. "The suns up and he's not moving, so I'm going to pull him down."

"Alright."

~!~

Tatsuki wasn't happy. The body they'd pulled down hadn't been the kyonshi, it hadn't even been a vampire. Just a human girl that hadn't been very lucky. She'd burned the body, ignoring Ichigo's protests until she explained the purpose behind it. A burned body meant no turning, no possession, and no voodoo.

"We didn't have time to find a place to bury her anyway," Tatsuki explained as they walked to school. "We barely had time to go shower and get ready."

"You've still got mud in your hair," he admitted. "And I'm pretty sure my clothes are going to smell like dead body for a while."

"Try forever," Tatsuki snorted. "Normal humans stop noticing after about a week, two at the most." She fell quiet as a group of students passed them by. Mizuiro was a ways ahead of them while Keigo and Ryo were talking behind them. Orihime was to Ichigo's left and Ishida was smart enough to avoid Tatsuki altogether. "Vampires don't even notice it, too much of their own smell."

"How come slayers aren't normal?"

Orihime's question made Tatsuki pause for the barest of moments. That was one thing Tatsuki had never told anyone. A secret passed from The first slayer to Buffy to Faith and then to Tatsuki herself.

"It's a long story," she answered instead. "And until I call a slayer of my own, I'm not telling."

"She won't be calling one for a long time either," Ryo cut in. She came up next to Tatsuki and gave her a look. "If she does I'm going to kill her."

"I'd like to see that," Tatsuki laughed. "I'd also like some details about you and Keigo's date last night."

A very clear sign that everyone should drop it. Ryo and Tatsuki talked about the date for the rest of the walk to school, falling back behind the others as Ryo recounted exactly what had happened. Keigo started giving the others his own boisterous play by play of the same events. From first meeting after school to lunch in the park and then dinner made by Keigo himself. At the end of the night he'd presented a bouquet of enchanted lilies and a promise ring. It was a welcome distraction, and more than that, Tatsuki was truly glad her friend could be happy.

"It was perfect Tsuki. The flowers are still sparkling," Ryo smiled as the two of them changed for gym. "I really think things are going to work out this time."

"I hope so," Tatsuki's voice came from within the confines of her shirt. Her head popped out a second later before she pulled her hair loose. The murmurs in the locker room increased around her and Tatsuki leaned against the wall as she waited for her friend. A member of Dragon Moon tried to snag a hair as she passed by but Tatsuki was quicker, jerking her hair out of reach and waving her off. "Are you guys okay with hunting tonight? Not that I'm asking, and I certainly don't want to interrupt your-"

"Tatsuki, we're coming." Ryo shut the door to her locker. "That was one of the things we decided on first. No matter what our relationship turned into, we weren't going to leave you to fight alone."

"Thank you guys," Tatsuki couldn't help but hug her.

"Enough," Ryo laughed, breaking free. "Why don't you tell me why Ichigo and you are so chummy this morning."

The conversation stopped when Orihime walked up to them, dressed in her own gym clothes with a determined look on her face. There was no way for either of the Tenshi to get past without making a scene. The silence in the locker room proved that enough of one was being caused already. Whispers from the dragon moon club females drifted through the air as they waited for something to happen.

"I wanted to talk to you Tatsuki-chan," Orihime spoke. "Alone, if possible."

"Ryo, you go on ahead, I'll walk out with Orihime." Tatsuki waited for her watcher to leave before she started out as well. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

"I wanted to talk about a lot of things, but for now, I wanted to talk to you about Ichigo."

"Out of everything you could have asked me..." Tatsuki let out a sigh as the orange haired boy came into view. "I'm not going to help you get together with him."

"I wasn't going to ask that," Orihime argued softly. She was hurt. The gears in her head were working slower and Tatsuki had to force herself not to apologize. "He's been going on patrol with you a lot, and I was wondering if, maybe...you could make him stop?"

"Not going to ask...I tried," Tatsuki scoffed. "Trust me, I'd rather he was on spook patrol with the rest of you. I don't have any control over what the idiot does though. If you want him to stop, talk to him yourself." Tatsuki waited for her to say something before she continued. "You know, there's a billion things you could have chosen to talk about Orihime. You could have told me what you were really doing, you could have told me how I was almost killed, you could have told me almost anything." The slayer took a breath and her eyes found Ryo in the group of students. "I trusted you, Orihime. I told you things my own mother doesn't even know."

The slayer broke away from the girl and made a beeline for Ryo. The other girl was waiting for her, glowering over Tatsuki's shoulder no doubt while he slayer tried to regain her self control. She was not going to cry in front of her entire class. The gym teacher took the opportunity to take role and explain what they would be doing that day. Not that Tatsuki listened. She and her Tenshi had withdrawn from the rest, sitting in the grass while the teacher blathered on.

"It's not fair," Tatsuki released a shaking breath. "Why would she do this in the middle of the day?"

"She's not very well known for her tact," Mizuiro admitted. It was possibly the first ill thing he'd ever said against Orihime. "Maybe she thought you'd ditch together like you used to. Talk it out."

Tatsuki chanced a glance over at the girl, scowling when she saw the redhead leaning against Ishida and Ichigo as she cried. In between the two groups she could see people glaring at her for making the sweet girl cry. Her own fan club was glowering right back at them though, some even coming closer to Tatsuki in an effort to shield their moon princess. The teacher wasn't having any of it. A shrill blow of the whistle broke through the increasingly negative feelings and Tatsuki found something to focus on with the coach's words. They were going to play volleyball today. Boys against girls until the period as over.

"First, I'm going to have two of you go get the equipment wile the rest of you run a lap!" Coach shouted. "Kurosaki, you owe me quite a few laps, once you and your partner finish getting the equipment, I want you to give me three." As Ichigo moved forward, scowling deeper and perhaps even grumbling, the coach's eyes wandered across his students. Back and forth between two people in particular. "Arisawa, go with him. You can join him for laps too."

Tatsuki looked up in time to see Ichigo's shoulders fall slightly. Her own spine stiffened as she picked herself up from the dust and followed Ichigo to the equipment locker. Not much more than a glorified tool shed, it held everything from old textbooks to maintenance supplies to their dearly beloved volleyballs. Traversing their way to the shed was easy.

"Joy," Ichigo snorted. "It's locked."

"Like it matters." She grabbed hold of the lock and gave a sharp tug, snapping the handle from the thin metal door. "Come on, let's hurry and gt back."

"Tsuki, stop." Ichigo was staring at her. "I don't know exactly what you said to Orihime, but I have an idea."

"An idea?" Tatsuki asked. "Really?"

"I do have them," he snapped back at her. "Sorry, I didn't mean...I remember middle school. I know what a crushing girl acts like."

"You know nothing Ichigo." Tatsuki turned to begin traversing the maze in the shed. "If you did, you'd have noticed it a lot sooner and stopped leading her on."

"I wasn't leading her on," Ichigo argued as he followed her deeper inside. "I was trying to make her see..."

"So tell her the truth. That's the only way she's going to understand."

Tatsuki heard him trip long before he started falling. Her slayer reflexes only made the situation worse. Half of the maintenance things fell on top of them as they hit the ground, the sack of volleyballs coming down not long after. Ichigo was bracing himself over her, taking the majority of the debris as they waited for the chaos to come. Voices echoed outside, growing closer as the two of them recovered.

"What the hell Ichigo?" Tatsuki asked as he rolled off of her. "I could have handled that, you're just human." Her only answer was a grunt as he coughed. "Come on, lets try to get up."

"Is everything okay?" Coach asked from the doorway.

"Maybe. Ichigo, can you move?"

He sat up instead of answering, brushing a collection of screws and tape rolls off of himself. He stood slowly, a chain rattling as even more hardware fell to the floor and a ball was kicked out of the way. He didn't walk out without her though. He stood waiting with a hand outstretched for her. She would have ignored it if her ankle wasn't scraped to hell. The sound of a chain echoed again and Tatsuki realized something as she caught sight of Ichigo's waist. The was a chain locked around his waist, leading directly towards her...

"We're locked together?!"

* * *

"Yay, we're dismissed from gym." Tatsuki's tone was sardonic and her face was all too tight and angry.

The shop teacher was standing between them with a blow torch, scratching his head as the chain resisted his efforts. A broken pair of bolt cutters were laying on the ground beside him while the maintenance man spoke to the principal. As to why no one had tried picking the locks...well, there was no keyhole for them to try and pick. There was a good deal of magic clinging to the chain though. More than clinging, it was imbued into the metal itself. One yard of magic, unbreakable, crap connected Tatsuki and Ichigo and it didn't look to be breaking any time soon.

"Ah, I think we'll be dismissing you from a bit more than that." The principal looked a tiny bit distressed as he came to stand in front of them. "If you'll both go to your homeroom, I've had your classmates take your uniforms back there. You'll have to change back there, one standing outside while the other dresses decently."

She could hardly wait. In fact, she couldn't wait, Ichigo had taken off and pulled her from the shop table. The cold hard cement connected with her hip and shoulder and a wrench nearly landed on her head.

"What the hell?" Tatsuki shouted as her fellow chain-ganger hurried to help her stand. "Could you give a girl five seconds?"

"She's quite right Kurosaki," the principal scowled. "You really need to take care when a lady such as Arisawa-san is in such a delicate position."

The two teens promptly left the shop room, Tatsuki limping for a few steps before she healed up. Students in classrooms were poking their heads out to watch while teachers and hall monitors were whispering back and forth. Neither of them were entirely thrilled by the gossip but Tatsuki was the one to turn and tell them off. She'd darted into the classroom first, slamming the door behind her and cursing when it bounced back open. Ichigo had closed it as much as he was able, standing with his back to the gap to give her what little privacy he could.

"Sorry about earlier." She was midway through zipping her skirt when he spoke. "I'm not exactly used to this."

"I doubt anyone is used to this." She was actually glad they were chained at the waist. Anything else would have been ridiculous. She shook her head at that. "This actually reminds me of the yumekai."

"A dream creature?" he asked. His head turned slightly outside of the classroom giving her a view of his ear.

"Benign sort of thing." She buttoned her shirt up, leaving the top two undone. Between last week and this one her whites had shrunk down and another skirt had been eaten in the wash. "I need to learn to do laundry or fire the maid."

"It looked a bit tight this morning." There was a slight silence. "I mean...this yumekai, you think he's angry? Maybe working the voodoo for that jumpy bastard?"

"Not a chance," she slid the door open. "I mean that the magic on these chains is friendly. It's not his though. This is something else..." She lifted the chain up and stared hard at it, letting her senses run across the magic before she let it fall. "Your turn."

He shuffled in and she took up the same pose he'd been in. He only jerked on the chain twice as he changed, nearly pulling her into the classroom with the second one.

"Watch what you're doing," Tatsuki clung to the doorframe.

"Sorry, I'm not exactly used to your delicate condition."

Tatsuki rolled her eyes and held a bit tighter to the door frame as Ichigo finished. When he emerged a few moments later, Tatsuki discovered the doorframe she'd clung to as now splintered from her grip. Ichigo didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he didn't wait for her before he started walking. The ass. He did notice something very strange as they walked however. Something that was making Tatsuki's slayer senses tingle big time.

Three blocks from school there was a car parked under a cherry tree while a couple sat inside arguing furiously. A shimmering energy drifted across the vehicle; the same energy that coated the chain around her waist. Tatsuki adjusted herself. The slayer inside of her came a bit closer to the surface and the taste of the magic danced across her physical tongue and inside of her nose. It was stronger than the yumekai's energy. It was spread out further as well, strongest where they were and barely weaker at the car next to them. There was another one a bit further off. Tatsuki was the one who started walking first this time, turning the corner and heading towards a travel agency just down the street. There were others inside but all of them were watching the back wall.

Tatsuki went inside, grunting when the chain caught in the door and Ichigo still remained outside. He hurried inside before she could scowl at him. The back wall, as it turned out, was a bank of windows separating the main floor from the back office.

"What's going on back there?" Tatsuki asked the nearest saleswoman. She was almost plain in the looks department, but the colorful blouse and accessories gave her quite a bit of flair.

"Hm? Oh, well Mr. Tawara and his wife started arguing this morning," she waved at the back wall. "Normally the wife storms out after about fifteen minutes." A man picked up where she left off, just as colorful and flamboyant.

"But then the door handle broke off his door," he laughed. "Paranoid nutter that he is, his windows are bulletproof. Thinks one of us is going to snap and shoot him one day."

"Like you haven't thought about it?" the woman teased. "Anyhow they been in there at least two hours, finally quieting down now."

It took a good ten minutes more for the two sales people to stop gossiping, and another five to escape the deluxe package for a cruise. It took another hour and a half before Tatsuki was willing to admit what was going on. By then she was sitting at the kitchen table with Ichigo, both of them having a snack as Tatsuki focused on the one thing she could solve now. Making rice balls to take out the kyonshi. This spell wasn't evil, just annoying, and Tatsuki had to do something about the murderous creature before she went and straightened out the dumb one.

"I noticed a pattern," Ichigo finally admitted as he looked through the codex. He'd chosen to solve the less pressing detail. "All of the people we saw on the way home are arguing..."

"Noticed that," Tatsuki set another onigiri in a bag. There was a map of Karakura lain out on the table under her bowl of rice with every graveyard circled. "Where's the old Mortuary we were at?" Ichigo looked over before pointing at a nondescript part of the city. "Could you tell me the street?"

"Tatsuki, we're chained together-"

"And I've got a price on my head." Tatsuki didn't slam the riceball down, but she very nearly crushed it. "A price that people are trying to collect on every three hours after sunset. I'm a little more concerned with taking this bastard out than talking to some idiot."

"I also noticed that the people chained together were couples." He'd marked down the street for her, along with a few others he'd seen during his ghost hunting patrols.

"There's a lot families around here," she brushed it off. "Parents fight. It's probably more diverse closer to downtown."

The cook's little television began to spout out an annoyingly cheerful tune. Laughing girls and sighing boys combined with ugly little cherubs and lustful depictions of foxes until an equally annoying looking woman popped up on the screen. An overly elaborate hairstyle rest atop a heian styled face while a loud kimono covered just enough to put her on TV. Hearts covered everything around her and little children were running around pretending to be cupids. Then she opened her mouth.

"Good afternoon everyone!" her voice was high pitched and grating o the slayer's nerves. "I hope you're all enjoying this mornings promise. For those of you just tuning in, or maybe you've just gotten yourselves stuck, I am Tamamo, Karakura's resident love guru!"

"I think we found out who's trapping the lovers together," Ichigo said from behind Tatsuki. He'd moved closer to her between the begiing of the commercial and now. So close that his breath tickled her ear.

"Not lovers," Tatsuki corrected.

"I really do hate to have to do this," Tamamo sighed, putting a hand against her cheek. "But Karakura, you have been so out of touch with yourselves that I, the love guru, had to step in. The sooner you kiss and make up, the sooner you get out of your bind."

"We're not fighting either," Tatsuki cut him off before he could speak.

"I suppose I'll be nice though," the shrill voice came out from the TV. "If you haven't settled your differences by midnight tonight, I'll accept an offering instead."

The TV went back to what it normally was. Daytime telenovellas. Gone was the high pitched voice of the 'love guru' but to look at Cookie and her behavior, nothing had even happened. She was still preparing supper and scoffing at the characters on screen. Tatsuki pushed the woman to the back of her mind and went back to marking up the map. She even asked Ichigo for any other old cemeteries around town. Thankfully he didn't argue with her about it or try to bring up another hunt.

Ryo and the others arrived just before sunset.

"You got caught up in the love guru's crazy?" Keigo asked them. "You'd be surprised how any people are."

"Seven couples on the way home," Ryo sat down next to Tatsuki. A brief explanation of what was going on and she took the codex back from Ichigo to cross check the tombs and funeral parlors in the city. "The guy at the Quik Stop is stuck in a cooler with some boy I've never even seen before."

For the briefest moment Tatsuki felt hope.

"Oh, that's his 'not boyfriend'," Mizuiro told her. He'd started making little tissue bundles of adzuki beans. "They've been arguing about telling their parents. You should go get changed Tatsuki, it's getting close to sunset."

She darted up quicker than she should have, falling back onto her rear only a few seconds later. An open bag of adzuki beans had been sitting on the edge of the table, toppling onto her as her head came into contact with the wood, followed up by the container of umeboshi. A flash blinded her and Ryo's voice started talking about prices. Wonderful.

The still sitting Ichigo was and had been much bigger than her for a few years. As a slayer she was strong, yes, but ever since Scotland she'd realized she was on the weaker end of slayer strength but the higher end of slayer speed. She was almost faster than Buffy. Fast was useless if she was chained to something bigger than her though. He extended his hand to her as he rose, trying to keep a smile from coming out; she wouldn't have noticed it if she hadn't known him for so long.

"This is getting ridiculous," she scowled, smacking him in the chest after she stood. "Come on."

Changing in her room wasn't as simple as it had been in the classroom. For one, Tatsuki's hunting clothes were in the walk in, for another...there was no door on the walk in. There hadn't been since Faith had crashed through it.

"I can wear a blinfold," Ichigo suggested quietly from behind her.

"Yeah," she started for her vanity. There was only a minor tug before the chain went slack again. She didn't have a blindfold, but there was a sleeping mask she wore on plane rides. She handed it over to him and started for her closet. "Let me pick my stuff out first."

Ichigo kept his eyes off of her as she dug through a small dresser. Much smaller than the others, it was the simple white kind you got from Ikea. A temporary thing for clothes that weren't likely to last. She was keeping the scent of death from her other clothes he supposed. He turned his head when the leather pants came out. Whoever had given those to her was both his favorite person and the bane of his existence.

A woman in Baltimore sneezed as Tatsuki told him to cover his eyes.

He was left in the dark with nothing except the sound of fabric and the scent of a girl. And death. He could smell it now, and even if she hadn't told him about the lingering smell, he'd have picked it up. It had been on her skin since he came back. Something that kept Ogihci awake in his mind and let him know exactly where she was. The slim cool hand of the woman in front of him pulled the sleep mask off and for a second he couldn't see. She'd turned back to the dresser, throwing her school uniform into a pile by the door and giving Ichigo a view he need to stop looking at.

The leather pants had not made an appearance this evening. She was going for the 'sweet' look she'd used that first time they'd patrolled together. A sweet yellow dress was paired with a pair of tall white socks, both meeting at mid thigh. Brown heeled oxfords were being zipped up before she stood upright and moved towards the door. He would have followed her out regardless of the chain.

"Tatsuki, we narrowed it down to two places," Ryo spoke up from the bottom of the stairs. "Some guy named Dresden called and suggested we look for cemeteries on laylines."

"Big mojo places?" Tatsuki asked. She, and Ichigo, followed Ryo back into the kitchen where the boys sat making Adzuki and rice bombs from tissue paper.

"Massively big. I highlighted the local one for future reference." She pointed to the map where a bright pink line was drawn through town. Straight through Tatsuki's house, to the middle school, and out of Urahara's place. There were two former cemeteries along the line. One was a shopping mall now, the self same where they'd trapped Hiten within a mirror. The other was a shrine closer to Naruki City than anything in Karakura.

"That one," she tapped the shrine. "He's there."

Mizuiro handed her the bag of onigiri before another breath was taken while Keigo gathered their bombs. There was a flurry of activity where Ichigo had little option but to go with it. The slayer was blending with the schoolgirl seamlessly and the sword was in her hands before she knew it. The haze popped when she felt a tug on her waist. This was going to be th tricky part. Keeping the fight going without cutting him in half or getting him killed. She could do it, but she wasn't sure sure he could keep up with her.

* * *

The ghouls had attacked them twice on their way to the shrine and in that time, Ichigo had learned to stay out of Tatsuki's way when she was fighting. He was in charge of watching her back and tossing out bags of salt.

He felt like a coat rack mixed with a balance beam with the way she was twirling and swinging around him. It gave him a better idea of how she fought though. The years of training at the dojo were in there to be sure, but the slayer was bringing something primal and catlike to the mix. He bent down and she rolled over the top of him, slashing through a ghoul as his sword met the one coming towards them. It was getting easier to fall into her rhythm now that he was so close to her. She was fast though, much to fast for him to keep up while he was in his mortal body.

She cut through the final ghoul barring them from the inside of the old shrine and went straight into the dying temple. Her team was in formation and each of them was ready to attack. He'd never been a part of an unspoken plan of attack before. All of them were so in tune with one another that he wondered what his group lacked. The Kyonshi dropped down in front of them and Ichigo knew. There was almost zero spiritual energy coming off of the things she fought. Only Tatsuki seemed to be able to feel them, and maybe Mizuiro, but it was a necessity to keep to a plan. He was surprised when she didn't attack outright.

"I'm actually very glad I'm the one who gets to kill you," the kyonshi chuckled at her. "It's really not the same to find out a mindless underling took you out."

"Let me guess, the guys at Club Dead don't think it counts?" Tatsuki spun Midoriko beside her. "Can we make this quick? I gotta go talk to a love wench about this nonsense."

"Ah, yes, well, I will make a deal with you." The vampire hopped tot he other side of the room. "I'll let you two stay together when I'm done. That way you can be together forever, souls locked in your bodies while I have you destroying the city."

"I'm burning each piece of you separately," Tatsuki sheathed Midoriko. The peach sword came out and Ichigo could see the Kyonshi flinch. "After I kick your ass."

Onigiri and Adzuki beans were flung into the air when the Kyonshi flickered out of sight. A high pitched wail bounced off of the walls of the temple as beans bounced off of his skin. The creature slowed only marginally after an onigiri bounced off of his forehead. Tasuki rolled over Ichigo, taking the both of them backwards as the Kyonshi lunged. A bean bomb bounced off of his head, exploding onto the hopping vampire and slowing him down even more. He jumped backwards when the vampire flickered again, forgetting that he wasn't the only one moving. Tatsuki landed on top of him, growling as she rolled the two of them before bouncing back up. She didn't get far and the kyonshi took advantage of their situation, flickering in to grab the chain before flinging both of them into a wall.

Another bag of beans hit Ichigo in the head while several onigiri slammed directly into the Kyonshi. Tatsuki recovered before he did, pulling him up as the hopping vampire staggered towards Tatsuki's friends. The slayer had grabbed the peach wood sword at some point while Mizuiro tossed Ichigo one of the supply bags.

It was almost fun, pelting the monster with something so harmless to the rest of the world. Tatsuki wasn't having nearly as much fun as she was forced to hack through the kyonshi's neck with a wooden sword. Three sharp, hard swipes went in before it got stuck in the neckbones. A swift kicked separated the head in the end and Ichigo found himself holding a container of lighter fluid while Ryo and Keigo poured salt onto the corpse.

"Did you remember marshmallows?" Mizuiro asked.

"No," Ichigo shook his head. He doused the motionless body in lighter fluid and Ryo put the head on top on the monster's stomach. "What are we going to do about the voodoo guy?"

Tatsuki dropped a book of flaming matches onto the kyonshi from beside him. He could see so many things flitting back and forth in her mind as the flames danced in her eyes.

"The voodoo guy is going to wait until the next big bad comes out," Tatsuki finally spoke. "If he was strong enough to come at me himself, he would have."

Ichigo was privy to something very few others knew about. The borderline ceremony of watching the bones burn was calming after the long fight. The bright blue and green flames cracked and spat at them as they ate away at the kyonshi's corpse. A bottle was passed to him by Tatsuki and he realized it was a ceremony. The four of them would watch the blaze and drink a beer, celebrating the fact that they'd lived through the night. Tatsuki's pockets looked a little heavier and Ryo was obviously handing her what she'd managed to collect too.

When the flames turned orange Ichigo knew thy were done. They'd all finished their drinks and began packing up. Soft questions asked regarding the burning of the temple and what they should do next. It was a half hearted question, all of them wanted sleep and a shower.

Ichigo looked over with wide eyes as their situation crashed down on him. Tatsuki had realized it as well, though she was much more vocal about it.

"How the hell am I supposed to get clean?" Tatsuki grumbled. "And we still need to tell the old goat man...Where the hell is that love guru to fix this?"

"Knock him out," Ryo waved it off. "Keigo and I will run interference with Dr. Kurosaki and the twins."

"Knock me out?" Ichigo argued. "Don't I get an option in this?"

Both girls gave him a very clear No before going back to their problem solving discussion.

"Why don't I wear the blindfold again?" Ichigo asked. "And I'll keep my back to you too."

The discussion was still going on as they walked home. Yes, Ichigo would wear the blindfold, but He couldn't shower until Keigo and Ryo got back with a change of clothes. Tatsuki was less than thrilled with the entire situation, wanting to go find the fox spirit before her shower, but no one wanted the chain couple to walk around covered in ghoul until they found her. Ichigo was forced to lift his arms and take great care as Ryo and Tatsuki ran around him arguing the merits of kitsune spells. He hadn't seen this side of her in a long time. Playful and care-free as she joked with friends. He hadn't been this care free in a while either. Just listening as the people around him joked and teasing Keigo when he said something especially ridiculous. If not for the weaponry and the ghoul goo and three new rings on Tatsuki's finger, it could have been their first day of school all over again.

They were just crossing the river when Ichigo froze in his place. Tatsuki stopped with him, making a noise of annoyance before the slayer under her skin growled. A gate was opening in the sky and from it fell the unconscious form of Rukia.

~!~

~!~

~!~

Alright! So, this is phase 1 of the confession. I'm mixing it with the zanpaktou rebellion arc, just to give me time the throw in more slayer adventures before Ichigo goes all powerless and then repowered and whatever else. Look forward to a lot more arguments, an emphasis on her 'delicate condition' and predicted lifespan as a slayer, and no few comparisons to the Shiba clan, as well as crypt klepto jokes. You can also look forward to a kiss.

The voodoo man is coming back in, along with Chizuru -seriously, they're coming in the same chapter- and there is a larger plot going on. If any of you are keeping up with my other fictions, Cloud in Wonderland is going through a few more edits, it Might be up by Sunday at the very earliest. Jack of Hearts is going to have a few more fluff chapters in it and Little One is going to get an update.

Sailor Tatsuki is having some trouble in the storyline, while a HP/LotR fics isn't leaving me alone.

Please review, and I hope everyone is having a lot of fun this summer ^_^


	17. Chain

They were just crossing the river when Ichigo froze in his place. Tatsuki stopped with him, making a noise of annoyance before the slayer under her skin growled. A gate was opening in the sky and from it fell the unconscious form of Rukia.

Ichigo didn't think before using his shinigami badge to pull his soul from his body. He'd only barely started to flash step over to Rukia when he was rewarded with a yelp from behind him and a pain around his waist. Tatsuki's still human body was hanging from his spirit form and glaring up. He barely had to time to grab a hold of her and still catch Rukia. As he set them down on the ground Ichigo was forced to sort of his thoughts very quickly. The magic in the chain wasn't letting them get out of their situation; Tatsuki and he were stuck together until they sat down and talked things out. A talk that was likely to be postponed until he found out what was going on in the spirit world. Rukia was laying half on the ground and half on his lap, clinging to consciousness and heavily injured. Had Aizen broken out? Was there a rebellion on the rise?

"There's another one," Tatsuki grit out, a hand resting on her waist. She was scowling at the sky and had been looking at anything but him before that.

Another gate was opening in the sky, just as she'd claimed, and a woman in white was stepping forth. She was beautiful. Elegant in each movement and wonderfully refined, she was distant and closed off. Perhaps even cold. Ichigo wrapped an arm around Tatsuki's waist and took them up to where the woman in white stood. The beauty in front of him could be as cold and distant as she wanted, he only wished the one beside him wasn't so close out of necessity.

"Who are you?" he demanded of the woman. "What did you do to Rukia?"

"You must be the shinigami that protects this area." The woman tilted her head at him. Her eyes focused on the woman holding on to his side and Ichigo felt his fingers tighten on Tatsuki's waist. "She's alive...with no spiritual energy to speak of."

"She's also not getting involved, so leave her out of it." Tatsuki would have stepped back and pulled away from him. He could feel it in her body language. As it was she ended up holding tighter when she glanced down at the ground.

The spirit raised her sword and Tatsuki scowled. The white bitch of the east obviously didn't care for human life any more than she did shinigami...life? Could a spirit of death be considered alive? Tatsuki didn't have a lot of time to think about it, the woman had used some sort of attack against them and Ichigo had barely escaped with the both of them. Over and over he barely escaped from the pillars of icy death. She had to strangle her pride and fear for what she was going to try next. He couldn't' fight one armed any more than she could keep holding on to him by the waist. The slayer unstrapped the harness that her Bait Boy used to carry his sword, ignoring the questions and holding tight as they were forced to dodge again and again. She nearly slipped as the harness fell to the ground mid jump. He understood what she was doing when she hooked a leg around his waist. Thank god.

Not a second after she was firmly wrapped about his waist did he attack the spirit in return. Midoriko was nearly vibrating with excitement on Tatsuki's back and she could hear it humming and laughing. If Ichigo heard it he said nothing, fixated on his task of beating back the ice spirit.

She was pretty enough, Tatsuki supposed, if you were into that sort of thing. She was _too_ confident though. She was using it to hide something. When she attacked once more, with meticulous precision and endless practice, Tatsuki saw what it was.

"Get us close," Tatsuki whispered into his ear. "Then get us away."

"What?" He shot her an incredulous look over his shoulder.

"Just do it," she dug a heel into his hip bone. It might have hurt her more than him, but he winced and did as told, moving them right beside the ice spirit. Her own sword jabbed out, quicker than it had ever moved before and the slice was so exact that nothing showed until Ichigo moved them away.

"Just as I thought," Tatsuki called to the spirit. "All that polish and precision and you still can't dress yourself."

The yukionna's eyes widened as gravity took over and the silk fell away from her form. Her perfectly made coif fell loose about her shoulders and heat spread across her face as her modesty was kept only by hair and her hands. Midoriko was laughing with the slayer, eager to embarrass the spirit just a little more. Ichigo turned his head switly to the side before shouting at her.

"What the hell Tsuki?" He looked back at her instead of the spirit and Tatsuki had to blush when something warm grabbed her thigh.

"Girls fight dirty sometimes." Tatsuki smirked at the yukionna with her next words. "Of course, I was expecting to see Ice and Snow under there, cold as she is." The spirit was getting pissed off really quick. Good. "It wouldn't certainly explain all the frustration if she just kept freezing her beau's to death."

"Silence yourself," the woman very nearly shouted. Her hair shifted ever so slightly and she quickly righted herself. "How dare you expose me in such a manner?"

"I dare quite easily," Tatsuki smirked from her Bait Boy. "Why don't you go run home to your lord and tell him what an abysmal failure you are?"

~!~

"You realize that's never going to work again in a million years, right?"

"Don't need it to."

Ichigo was back in his body and Tatsuki was back on the ground, walking on her own two feet instead of depending on a teleporting idiot for her safety. Rukia had taken that place. Ichigo was carrying the small shinigami in his arms with the greatest of care while Tatsuki and Ryo retreated into themselves. They were no longer going home, but towards Urahara's shop to deposit their new guest. Hopefully. There was a massive chance Tatsuki would end up there all night while the Ghost Facers babbled about the yukionna.

"Keigo says he's going to have a hot bath on stand-by for you." Ryo was typing a reply into her phone. "Also chocolate. And Cookie is going to make apple pie."

"I just want a shower and sleep right now," Tatsuki grumbled. "I was ready for bed at noon."

"I can imagine."

Both girls pulled further away when someone new joined their walk. Sado wasn't invasive, and he was usually quite supportive and quiet, but right now, they were both tired and Their hunt had turned into something they wanted no part of. Partly out of principle, partly out of inability. He took Rukia from Ichigo and they continued walking, Ichigo promising to tell what had happened once they got to Urahara's place.

"The chain is still up?" Chad asked when it caught on a hedgerow.

"Oh yes," Ryo answered. The links were tangled in with the branches and every time Ichigo pulled, Tatsuki fell into the bush a little more. "It's bound to their spirits too."

"Quit jerking me around!" Tatsuki shouted as Ichigo tried to pull her out.

"I'm trying to help," Ichigo growled back.

Ryo smirked when Tatsuki had enough and Ichigo went flying. Not too far, otherwise Tatsuki would have went with him, but he was now just as tangled in the bushes as she was. Ryo might have gotten annoyed with that if it wasn't so terribly amusing and well deserved. As much as her slayer tried to fight it this was one of the Love Spells cast by the fox spirit. Keigo and herself had almost been caught earlier.

"We should get rukia to Urahara's," Chad finally said.

"I didn' make you stop," Ryo nearly laughed. The tangle got worse the more they argued and Ryo knew that Midoriko might have to cut them free soon. Chad made a sound behind her and Ryo glanced back. "Alright, fine. Let's get sleeping tiny to the candy man." Chad looked past her at the arguing not-couple. "They'll figure it out."

~!~

Tatsuki hadn't been happy to find Ryo had ditched her earlier, but right now, she was very thankful for the hot tea in her hands. Her watcher had gone ahead and prepared tea for them while Sado got the rest of Ichigo's posse together. She'd never been happier to go sit in a corner and play with her phone while everyone else decided what to do. The story had been relayed and clarified at least twice now; not once had Tatsuki been asked if something was true or not. Ryo hadn't even been mentioned in the chain of events. It felt like watching a TV show where a character was no longer vital to the storyline.

Then Rukia woke up. The two girls had exited the room quietly after a quiet suggestion by Urahara and were now sitting just outside of the door. Voices rose before someone, who sounded distinctly like Ishida, mentioned having company and they would quiet again. The chain shifted every so often, catching for the barest of seconds on the doorjamb before falling lax once more. She needed to break free of this nonsense. For heaven's sake, she was directly involved and they were still trying to keep her out of the discussion.

Tatsuki looked back down at her phone while everyone discussed what to do about Seireitei. The boys had nothing on Tamamo's location and even less about the magic she was using. Ramen kitsune used food magic and according to Yukimura-sensei, her useless, flower wielding, fiance was in the Makai. Apparently he was trying to stop demons from invading the human world, so he wasn't Being useless, he was just unable to be useful to Tatsuki's fox hunt.

"Dresden is trying to track down his girlfriend's nephew," Ryo scowled at her own phone. "He did suggest trying to use a mouse to lure her out though. Speaking of, Keigo decided to make dinner..."

"Go," Tatsuki laughed. "I've got my phone, I'll keep myself entertained."

Ryo thanked her before leaving the dusty back room the two of them had been sitting in. Dresden's response might have been the most useless bit of advice he'd given them to date. Luring a fox with a mouse...did this look like a kids cartoon? If it was then someone forgot to tell the slayer about pies to the face and rubber mallets. Of course, in a children's cartoon she'd been tearing masks off of monsters instead of peeling bloody clothes off of herself. And she'd end up with the boy at the end because her love rivals would be evil or something.

The voices in the other room rose for a moment in argument before Tatsuki found herself being pulled through the now open door. Sitting just behind her with the chain wrapped about his arm at least three times, was Ichigo, looking somewhat pleased with himself even as he tried to hide it.

"You'd have made an excellent fisherman Ichigo," Urahara laughed.

"And Tatsuki looks much more mermaid-y now than she did with short hair." Orihime was somewhere to Tatsuki's left.

"Did your voice stop working?" Tatsuki growled at the teen looking down at her.

"I called you five times," Ichigo argued back, letting the chain go somewhat slack. He was still gripping the gathered loops in his hand. "You were busy talking to someone."

"That wasn't a clue? You even said the word 'busy' in that!"

"Now now," Urahara waved his fan at them. "We had a very important question for you, didn't we Ichigo?"

"I had a question, actually, I wanted to know how you drove the woman away." Rukia was looking up at her from the bed and Tatsuki had to make herself calm down and answer. That closeness she'd been missing from her friends was right there. The physical proximity gave away more than words had, and while she did make herself relax, Tatsuki wasn't giving information for free.

"I want to know what she is first."

"She's a citizen of the soul society," Rukia answered carefully. "I'm really not at liberty to tell you more..."

"Right, I'm leaving," Tatsuki cut her off. The slayer stood upright and started for the door, slayer strength dragging Ichigo behind.

"...she's my zanpaktou." Rukia's voice made the slayer pause and turn.

"Have you been having suicidal thoughts?" Tatsuki asked her with a raised brow. "Because you should tell people before they start to take over your weapony soul bits." She was aware of everyone staring at her. "What?"

"I think we're all just a bit surprised you'd know what a zanpaktou is," Ishida adjusted his glasses.

"Yeah, no thanks to you," Tatsuki snorted. "You have got to be the worst vassal ever." She looked back at Rukia. "Honestly, she ran away. I just cut her clothes off and insulted her first."

"That would explain why Ichigo didn't want to tell us," Urahara grinned at the teen.

The sickly girl on the bed reached out and smacked Ichigo, caused Tatsuki's chain to jerk her backwards with him. It was by sheer luck that she didn't end up flashing everyone around her. Luck and the feeling of someone throwing a jacket over her lower half.

"What the hell?" Tatsuki snapped before pushing herself up. A glance down showed that maybe Ishida wasn't the _worst _vassal. "Someone finds it uncomfortable to talk about sex, let's smack him around."

"There's a certain level of propriety one must maintain at all times," Rukia defended herself. "In mixed company it's important to maintain some level of that."

"Do you even realize that what you just said Doesn't apply to this idiot?" Tatsuki almost laughed.

"She's got a point," Ichigo spoke up for the first time. He was rubbing his thumb along one of the chain links as he spoke; Neither girl was listening but Tatsuki seemed to get a bit more courageous as Ichigo played with the chain.

"You know I'm starting to think you like it," Tatsuki smirked. "With as much I've seen you beating on him..."

"In the end," Urahara interrupted the building argument. "Rukia's zanpaktou ran away out of embarrassment. Now the question is, what should be done about it?"

Tatsuki found herself outside of the room again. Not physically, but utterly dismissed from the conversation. Only this time she couldn't get away. Her chain, her leash, was wrapped even tighter around Ichigo's forearm and his spiritual energy was Keeping her there. And now there was a cat sitting on her lap and getting hair all over Ishida's jacket. The second part wasn't so important but the damn thing was staring at her like it Knew how frustrated she was with everything. Trapped in a back room with a bunch of idiots who had somehow missed that she and Ichigo were still covered in chunks of rotting flesh and blackened ghoul blood. The slayer subconsciously ran her hands through the feline's fur, scowling and trying to keep it together. For the briefest of moments Ichigo was on her side again. He was her sidekick and ward against people who picked on him.

She'd been right. She didn't like going back to the way things were. Even if it was for just a second and then things popped back to the way they were going. She didn't like that either. She was back in her proverbial corner, twiddling her thumbs until she got some attention again. How fucked was that...

The pain of a demon exploded from her abdomen and ran like plasma through her body. Down to her fingertips and out into the very ends of each follicle of hair before bouncing right back into a tiny ball of white hot agony. Breath and sound escaped all at once with the power of it and damn if the people around her weren't feeling it at all. The cat was out of her lap and a woman was suddenly holding her steady while the man she was attached to let out a pained, enraged shout.

All went still. The pain still burned at her nerves and the slayer inside was trying in vain to rise up against the holding spell that had taken hold of her. No one else was moving either. The softest of words were being picked up by her senses, whispers through a wall, but there was nothing above that.

"My, my, my." The smokey voice of a woman rang through the room as the demon entered. "I certainly wasn't expecting this when my pet called me."

Tatsuki's mind flashed to the cat, but the chain around her waist was wriggling with what could only be delight. The demon knelt down beside Ishida's frozen form and leaned against him with a pout. Tamamo no Mae had come to her and there wasn't a damn thing she could do to kill the bitch.

"Such a rabble," the kitsune flicked at Chad's nose. "But that's not why I'm here. If I just wanted to insult people i'd have a daytime talk show. No, I'm a relationship guru. And there is a mighty big block with you two..." she wagged her finger between Ichigo and Tatsuki before settling on Ichigo with a grin. "You certainly are tricky. My pet's told me all about your little plans to go save the spirit world."

Tatsuki hadn't heard that part. She'd been listening since she came in too. Her shock wasn't ignored by Tamamo, but she didn't comment on it either. There was almost pity in her eyes, but there was also frustration and annoyance. A wordless command to just take the Bait Boy and be done with it.

"So, I've decided to make your little jaunt a bit easier. I'll get rid of the chain..." Tatsuki expected the next part. "But, you can only be seven yards away from each other and you must keep her in sight. Otherwise, Kurosaki Ichigo, she'll start to lose her spirit energy. And considering how little she has to begin with, not to mention the curse that's been feeding off of her... Make sure your glances away are worth it."

The demoness disappeared in a whorl of pink and white smoke, laughing the entire time as the chain turned into something much more annoying. A hair thin strand of golden energy stretched between Ichigo and herself. Only a foot long right now, it was twinkling up at them merrily as her slayer senses calmed and the pain numbed. Her first unclenched and the sticky feeling of blood covered her palm and fingertips as she allowed herself to lean against the cat-woman.

"You're cursed?" Ichigo asked.

"My curse wasn't even an issue until a few minutes ago," Tatsuki scoffed. "Not until you decided to go to ghost land without asking. What the hell? I don't get a voice in that?"

"Maybe you two should take this away from the injured," the cat woman suggested. "It seems like a private conversation."

Ichigo was dragging her behind him yet again. This time with a hand around her wrist rather than a chain around her waist. And while he wasn't looking at her, the contact seemed to be enough to satisfy Tamamo's new spell. He led her to some back room, a room he must have slept in often, for one of his jackets was hanging from the door and school books were resting on a low desk. He even had a pair of shoes here.

"You didn't tell me you were cursed." It was almost a shout.

"I had no reason to. It didn't affect you in any way, not like you deciding I should just tag along for the ride."

"There's a whole world in danger," Ichigo argued. "And yeah, a curse on you does affect me."

"Bullshit," Tatsuki laughed. "Both of those reasons...the dead are in danger of dying? There are living humans trapped in the demon bitch's spellwork. Five people had already died from crimes of passion Ichigo, not to mention the ones taken by vamps and demons looking for easy targets!"

"Maybe I thought you'd want to go kick the ice bitch's ass until we found the demon chick who's been screwing with us!" He shouted back. "Or maybe I thought the dead would be easier to manage so long as there was a sorcerer trying to kill you!"

"Was I supposed to ride piggy back the whole time?" Tatsuki asked. "I mean jesus christ did you even look-" The door slid open and both of them went silent. Urahara and the cat woman were standing there watching like children might keep an eye on fighting parents. "Yes?"

"Our guest has fallen asleep again," Cat-woman spoke up. "We won't be going anywhere until she's recovered."

"No, We won't," Tatsuki glowered at her chain-mate. "The only place I'm going is to shower, and bed. Possibly a slaying in between."

"Are you sure your curse-"

"Don't." Tatsuki pointed Urahara with a very frightful scowl on her face. "I've been managing my curse damn well for a lot longer than you've known about it. Do not insult me."

"Of course, Lady slayer."

Tatsuki began to walk for the exit. She was done with this place and it's people and she'd sooner start draining her soul of it's energy than stay in this stuffy room with everyone staring at her.

"Duh."

Ichigo blinked as Karin walked past him to help Tatsuki set the table. They'd been talking, well, Ichigo had been questioning her about the curse, asking vaguely about it until finally he'd asked how long she'd known and if she'd been there when it happened. He was supposed to be helping her set the table, but he was standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the dining room to keep an eye on his first

"It happened in Sugisawa, when Tsuki-nee took us away from Aizen and the war."

Ichigo almost looked away from Tatsuki at the stove. She was standing next to Yuzu like she belonged there; Unless they found some way to track down Tamamo she'd be staying the night. Her hair was pulled back and a cupcake covered apron protected her clothes from the hot oil.

"You left town for that?"

"More like we were dragged away." Karin scowled for a moment. "I was pretty upset with her a first, but she helped me to understand that it was completely out of our league. She was already packing when dad dropped us off."

"She didn't want to stay and fight?" Ichigo asked as he watched her drop a few more shrimp into the oil.

"She said it was better for us to get out, that way we wouldn't distract you guys."

There'd been a few fights back in middle school where she'd backed off too. Guys who were just a bit too big for her to handle or too many in number. Whenever Ichigo took someone on, or the boys she couldn't take, she'd wait by the side lines. For years he'd thought she did it out of pride, getting annoyed with the boys who challenged her or being too lazy to fight her fights, but she'd always known her limits. Even when they were young she knew when to pull back or run away. He just hadn't expected her to run away from a hollow.

"Then the matron dragged Tsuki-nee back into the burning building and tried to kill her."

"She ran from a hollow to get killed by an angry ghost?"

"Onryo, completely different." Sure. "Onryo maintain human form, sort of, and tend to be more vengeful than hungry. They usually target based on how they died. A women killed by her husbands mistress targets unfaithful men and their flings." Karin set the final plate in it's spot. "I haven't been able to figure out why she cursed her though. Why didn't she just kill her instead?"

"She wanted to teach me a lesson!" Tatsuki's shout came from the kitchen. She turned and gave Karin a look. "And you need to stop expecting everyone to die in every fight."

"But she killed the other people, it doesn't match her pattern," Yuzu argued from behind Tatsuki. "We've been looking into it."

"She only cursed me after I'd defeated her." Tatsuki handed a dish to the lighter haired twin before putting rice into a bowl. "I think she was hoping it would take effect before she kicked passed."

"And what is it supposed to do?" Ichigo had gone further into the kitchen once Yuzu left the room. The twins were still listening, but neither came in after him. The slayer handed Ichigo the bowl of rice, making a barrier between them before she continued speaking.

"It's supposed to mirror back the emotions I create in others." Tatsuki snorted and picked up the plate of short ribs. "Like I don't have a hard enough time with my own crap."

Her last words were so quiet that Ichigo had wondered if maybe he'd imagined them. It was the golden thread between them that assured them they were real. Increased the volume of what his ears had picked up and higlighted the nuances that anyone might have missed. It pulled the microexpressions from her face and translated them as she smiled and teased his sisters. Something was weighing on her. Not her duty as a slayer; he'd never seen her so alive as she was during a fight. It wasn't school either. She'd always been smart, she just didn't apply herself very often.

He wondered if maybe he should just drag her up to his room and lock the door until they'd figured this out. Fuck the world, both of the living and the dead. He was tired, hungry, and frustrated in multiple ways.

"Sit down would you?"

Ichigo followed Tatsuki's instructions once more that evening and took a seat next to her at the table. It must have been at least a year since they'd had dinner together. She'd cleaned up as much as she could when they got back to the Kurosaki clinic. Clean clothes had been slid on beneath a sheet held up by his sisters, held just low enough that he could keep an eye on her. He'd wished that the sheet would slip from their grasp. The punches he would have gotten in return for sneaking a peek would have been worth it. More so than the punch he'd gotten after they were tossed into the back of the cop car.

Ichigo accepted the bowl of rice that was passed to him and waited patiently for the dishes to be passed around. The old man would come in soon and dinner would turn into a circus...

"Oh god." Ichigo dropped his chopsticks and stared at the wall. A hand gripped his forearm and Ichigo swiftly looked back to the pale slayer. "Shit, I forgot...the old man...he's going to go insane when we tell him."

The hurt scowl on Tatsuki's face turned into a fierce blush. They'd both forgotten then. How were they going to not only explain the golden chain curse and all it's peculiarities? Whn middle school had struck, Isshin had been near to militant about where they slept when study sessions lasted too long. Not only were they going to need to share a room now, but a bed and very possibly need to snuggle up close the whole night.

Ichigo was perfectly fine with that.

"Are you keeping secrets from your old man, my son?"

Both teens looked over at the madly grinning Isshin before Tatsuki suddenly found herself gasping for breath while Ichigo flew across the room. Goddamn but this thing was inconvieniant. Another punch sent another kurosaki flying and Ichigo had rushed over to kneel beside her, watching her face carefully. The doctor was poised to strike again she realized; then he saw her. He didn't rush over to investigate like Ichigo had but he was very carefully listening to the twins as they relayed what they knew.

Her spiritual energy was coming back to her, slowly, and she could almost feel Ichigo's trying to push itself into her skin.

"You need rest," Ichigo finally took his seat back. His hand was still holding her own and she didn't want to see that look on his face. They were chained together, forced into a situation they didn't need to be in because the chain had grabbed the wrong people. The look of concern on his face was softer than the one he'd given to the midget back at Urahara's. Hers had been defined, upset, focused.

"I'll be fine." Tatsuki took her hand back and started to eat. "Assuming of course we find Tamamo before you go gallivanting off."

"Neither of you are going anywhere," Isshin argued from his place at the table. His serious face had been turned up to 8 as opposed to it's usual 3. "Tamamo has struck before and every time her curses go away once they get talked out. And neither of you can talk it out while you're hunting."

"But if I chop her head off the curse is broken and everyone is free. That lunkhead can go back to his ghosty girlfriend and I don't get my spirit drained every time he looks at a bird."

"My...what? Rukia's not my girlfriend," Ichigo argued. His plate hadn't been touched since he'd been attacked. "She's not my type. Besides, I don't gallivant."

"Yes, you do." Karin's less than helpful comment earned a scowl from her elder brother.

Isshin was still looking at Tatsuki though. He still wore his serious face and he looked thoughtful on top of it.

"Chojou, Tamamo can't be killed. She's a goddess."

"Buffy killed a hell god."

"Hell is a place with guards and management," he shook his head. "What She represents simply Is. More than that, the aspect of...It, is of a divine nature. It's-"

"Annoying as hell and killing me."

"Well," Isshin let out a laughing breath and shrugged in agreement.

"We're not going anywhere for a while," Ichigo finally spoke up. "They said Rukia's injuries were too bad for her to travel any time soon."

"I feel like I probably shouldn't be happy about that," Tatsuki deadpanned.

"I am," Karin took a bite. "You hardly ever come around anymore."

Tatsuki was too happy to let the twins distract her from the increasingly personal discussion going on. It was easy to let Ichigo handle their sleeping arrangements while she ate dinner and teased Karin about her crush and poked at Yuzu to share the same. Strong slayer she may be, and independent on top of it, she did like it when other people handled things for her. Like research or buying groceries. Not battle battle plans, Not her actions, and most definitely Not her fate. Slayerdom already had dibs on that.

"When was the last time you slept?" Yuzu asked when Tatsuki yawned for the nth time.

"Hm?"

"You've been yawning since you got here," Karin clarified. "And last night you were out with Ichigo and his goon squad."

"And the night before you were hunting the kyonshi," Yuzu picked up.

"Then I slept the night before that," Tatsuki shrugged and served herself another plateful. She didn't stop when the family looked at her, in fact, she continued until Ichigo asked if she was crazy. "Possibly? It's not the first time I've done this you know, I know my limits."

"Alright, all supernatural warriors and hunters are going to bed." Isshin pushed himself out of his chair and began ushering the teens upstairs. "I'm ignoring the no girls rule until this is all done."

"I'm still eating," Tatsuki argued as Isshin pulled her up. Ichigo was being pulled along as well, though he seemed to agree with his father.

"I'll make sure you get a big lunch Tsuki-nee!" Yuzu called as the slayer was ushered up the stairs.

It was kind of funny; pajamas always seemed to be the quickest clothes a person could change into. The sheet had been pinned up once more, but this time a teen was changing on either side. Both were putting on one of his shirts, both were sliding on a pair of sleeping pants, and both were trying very hard to keep things as casual as they could. It wasn't that easy. Especially when his scent tingled along her slayer senses. Wearing his mother's old dress was one thing,but surrounding herself in his scent and knowing that they were going to share a bed was pulling the huntress to the surface. That was why she never slept. That was why she never had an issue recently. The slayer essence didn't sleep until everything was dead.

Right now, as she waited for Ichigo to finish, she could sense that everything in the neighborhood was. There were no ghouls, no vampires, no minor demons or spirits floating about. There was just a warded house and some spiritualists.

"Hey, don't fall asleep against the wall." Ichigo hurried over and pulled her upright. He'd skipped a shirt to hurry over to her.

"I wasn't going to sleep, I was just...whatever," Tatsuki began to pull the sheet down from the wall before realizing she'd need to change in the morning. She let out a sigh and ducked under the fabric, gasping for just a second until she was back in Ichigo's sight. The bed did look inviting, even if it was a bit smaller than her own, and his stupid scent was lulling her to sleep, she knew it.

Just this once, she wasn't going to fight it. She was going to chalk everything up to being exhausted and pretend that she wasn't happy to have Ichigo laying down beside her.

Sleep took her faster than Ichigo had expected. Her breathing had slowed as soon as her head touched the pillow and when he sat down beside her, there had been no hitch of breath or tensing of her body. She'd relaxed even further. When he lay down next to her, she'd allowed herself to mold to his form and then she'd been out. Completely unconscious as he wrapped and arm around her waist. Maybe he could talk her into talking this out, finally.

"_No, because 'you talking' is going to turn into 'you demanding'." Tatsuki put a hand to her head and pressed against her temple. "I do not have the time or patience to sit through an interrogation about the feelings of someone else when I'm..." The slayer let out a breath and walked away. _

There was that. Weeks ago, when he'd first come back and he'd tried to talk to her about why she was acting so differently. Except know he knew why. Or at least the basics of it. She was a warrior chosen by the gods the fight against the darkness. She knew the basics of his life too. He fought against hollows and dangerous spirits planning to destroy the living world. He'd gone into several frays and he usually won.

When had that happened? When did they only know the basics of one another's life instead of knowing the intimate details? Middle school. When he'd started getting into trouble with Bunshichi and his other thug friends. He'd picked up smoking and started picking up girls with his crew. He never told her about the girls. He never told her about the smoking either, but she'd known. Found a pack in his bag when she started digging for a pencil. Then high school had come and everything had changed except his feelings for her. If anything, they'd only grown stronger, more intense and defined than they had been before.

She couldn't walk away this time. Not like she had before. He wasn't going to demand anything on anyone else's behalf. He was only going to ask about her and talk about himself. And he wasn't going to start by blurting out that he loved her. He was going to use the right words at the right moment.

~!~

Waking up with a slayer was a different sort of experience.

She'd jerked into a state of attack before Nova's portal had even appeared, grabbing up the closest possible weapon before swinging it at the falling plush-bound mod souls.

"Tsuki!" he shouted as she tried to jump from the bed after them. His hand clamped around her ankle while his arm wrapped around her waist. Goddamn but she'd gotten stronger. Faster too. He'd barely managed to catch her. "It's fine, they're just rude."

The girl was coming back, but the other side of her was still very aware as it moved against him, trying to get loose and using every possible way to distract him. A shame it was only making him hodl her tighter.

"What the hell," She grumbled, blinking the sleep away before she focused on the three on the other side of the room. "What the hell is your problem?"

"Forgive us for interrupting your sleep, Kurosaki-san-"

"Don't apologize to just me," Ichigo scowled. "Apologize to Tatsuki too!"

"But Rukia-nee has disappeared!"

"What does that have to do with apologizing?" Ichigo only scowled deeper. He knew Rukia would run away. It was what she did. She ran off after showing up and getting everyone worried about her. While he was worried about his injured friend, very worried, he was also trying to keep his saiai from ignoring him for the rest of their natural, bound, lives.

None of the mod souls spoke up.

"Get out. I'll come by in the morning." Ichigo pulled Tatsuki back down to the bed. He adjusted the covers while Tatsuki continued to peer at the strange plushies from over his shoulder. Her fingers were delicate and cold on his bare shoulder as her spirit maintained itself with his own.

"But, Ichigo..."

"In the morning." Ichigo slumped back into bed and Tatsuki followed, cool fingertips still touching his shoulder as she slowly sank down as well. The girl was falling asleep again and the Slayer was mellowing as it moved fingertips to his other shoulder, bringing her arm across his chest as she fell asleep once more.

He felt the portal open up again and the mod souls disappeared seconds later, leaving the two of them in bed. Cuddling. Sort of. He kept his eyes open for a few more minutes, waiting for another portal or for Yoroichi or Urahara to come by and drag him along. Most of those minutes were spent looking at the woman next to him. Her breath was fanning along his chest and her hair was spilling across the sheets and the pillows in an inky wave.

He couldn't help but play with the lock that fell across her face. It was soft. Strong, there were traces of her soul in each strand and when he moved it through his fingers her breathing changed.

Ichigo froze. Waiting. He slid the length of it through his fingers and her breath caught again, goosebumps breaking out along her skin. She could feel it. She shouldn't be able to feel her hair. She shouldn't have heat coming off of her hair either. Was this a by-product of her curse? Not only to feel the emotions of others, but to be so senstive to them that her body picked up on little things like this?

~!~

Ryo was sitting across from Urahara when they made their way back downstairs. Her face was calm and cool, while the blonde looked amused and concerned all at once.

"What's the what, oh watcher mine?" Tatsuki hopped over the couch to sit next to her companion.

"Tokyo HQ is sending the twins over to hunt down the ghouls while you go galivanting off to ghost world."

"What?" Tatsuki's face dropped from the shock of it and her still loose hair seemed to wilt.

"Just the remaining ghouls." Ryo clarified, patting her hand. "Tamamo is still your case, Aiko and Satsu made sure of it, but she, and even Buffy, said you need to clear up your newest curse before you try to take her on." In other words she needed to sit and share her feelings with the idiot who still stood behind her. "Although, Buffy's exact words were 'get your ass to ghostville and clear it up because you'rs isn't the only one dealing with a rebellion.' Apparently Xibalban reapers are having a bit of a dispute and Some Angel named Cas is on the fritz in America."

"No," Tatsuki let out a grumbling groan as she slumped against the couch. "No, I don't...dammit."

"Are you serious?" Ichigo asked. He moved to sit on the arm of the couch beside Tatsuki, fingers twitching slightly as he scowled. "About the rebellions?"

"Some majorly bad stuff happened all across the world, all at the same time." Ryo clarified, pulling up a map on her codex. Red dots were all across every continent. "The local slayers are taking care of what they can. Because we, in particular You, have a connection with them..."

The slayer on the couch grumbled again and covered her face with her arm. She very nearly started when Ichigo began to argue against the venture.

"Last time Tatsuki had a run in with high spirit energy she almost passed out." He turned to Urahara. "Do we even know if they need help?"

"Rukia returned this morning, but from Yoroichi's report they have suffered a great deal of damage. She was rather surprised when you refused to come by last night." Even though he was smiling, the teens could see he was more concerned than amused. "As to our ojou's resistance issues, She seems to be just fine." He held his hands up when the three teenagers turned on him. "What I mean is that she hasn't had any signs of distress since Tamamo bespelled you two."

"Except for that time when she came in and Tatsuki almost passed out," Ichigo scowled. "Last I checked, pain, weakness, and spiritual sensitivity...

"Slayer senses," Tatsuki interrupted. "Comes with the package. Kind of a fight or flight warning when a big bad comes around."

Buffy needed her to go into battle and tamp down their local soul police. Fine. She'd do it because it was in the best interests of the souls floating around waiting to move on. She'd go and do it because someone was covering for her in the ghoul department and even if it was...the Tokyo group...she was going to go on to her next assignment.

~!~

So far it was easy to keep an eye on Tatsuki. It was easy to pull her through to Seireitei behind him and to finally show her what he'd been forbidden from sharing. It would have been better if she wasn't so angry. Better still if there wasn't a curse on her. Since Urahara had swung by earlier, Tatsuki had become despondent, unwilling to even talk to him, much less argue. She'd turned into someone all about the duty and the job and very far from the slayer he'd been tromping through the mud with only a few nights ago. It was grass they were walking through now. Walking up towards the city proper from the drop point Urahara had arranged for them. Yoroichi had taken off almost as soon as they landed, coming back for moments to ask why they were taking so long; If they went a little to the left the could hit up Shiba inn. Hell, they might have to at the rate he was traveling. Then again, if he knew how to keep her curse from eating her, he might be able to get them into the city a bit faster.

"What is the curse?" Ichigo asked.

"What?"

"What is it doing beside eating away at your energy and mirroring emotions?"

"Its..." Tatsuki sighed and defeat overtook her features. It wasn't a look he liked. "It punishes me when I try to cut my hair. The curse uses my spirit energy to regrow it and remind me to be a kind and proper lady."

"I'd wondered about that." Pieces were falling into place, but it didn't explain the warmth that came off of her. "I don't get why that's punishment though."

"It gets a bit bloody whenever I try to cut it."

Ichigo stopped in his tracks behind her. Bloody?

"The curse may have built up some nerves in each strand," she waved it off. "And some capillaries. Ryo took the scissors away after I fainted the second time."

The very idea that Tatsuki would faint was something Ichigo wouldn't have believed if anyone else had said it. The idea she would faint twice was even further from belief. It had happened though, and when he unknowingly asked yet another question, he learned that she'd become anemic from the curse, as well as spiritually weak. The biggest kicker was learning that there was no way for the curse to be broken. She was stuck with long hair or bleeding out for the rest of her life.

The city came into view before either of them spoke again. Glowing in the spirit world night like a beacon. Smoke drifted through the air and he could feel a loss of spiritual pressure in the air. A loss of life.

"That's a lot of fire," Tatsuki breathed from his side. She'd slowed down the closer they got but her energy remained strong. Stronger than it had been the night before. "Do you even know how to stop these guys?"

"I was thinking we'd just provide back-up until someone figured something out." He glanced over when the hairs on his neck began to rise. "It shouldn't take them long."

"Right, make with the slayage, got it."

A massive explosion made the ground beneath them shake and sent several building to the ground. Ichigo scooped her up a few seconds later, flashing towards the city while Tatsuki clung to him. She'd never liked heights, although once Sode was in sight, she seemed ready to jump at the zanpaktou spirit. He let his grip on her linger when they landed and she didn't seem eager to leave him until they'd landed completely. Sode's eyes locked onto Tatsuki and he was reminded exactly why he'd always stayed out of Tatsuki's fights in middle school. Midoriko was unsheathed once more and Ichigo wondered if she'd picked up a demon sword by accident.

~!~

"Oh look, its the ice witch," Tatsuki set Midoriko over her shoulder. "You know, I really do want to fight you one on one, but I'm not so great at the whole floaty-flying thing."

"I can't say I'm sorry about that." Sode prepared to attack, raising the sword and beginning to chant.

"But," Tatsuki interrupted her. "I figure, a spirit is a spirit. And I'm a pretty decent aim when I put my mind to it." Tatsuki's fingers flicked and a small iron needle entered Sode's left shoulder, sending her to the ground. "Now, normally that would just send you back to your mortal form or disperse your spirit, but you're kind of already in it. So you're kinda screwed."

"What is this?" Sode shouted at her as she tried to pull it out. It sparked wherever the spirit touched the iron spine.

"Oh, ya know, cold iron engraved with a couple of esoteric symbols. The normal stuff."

Sode tried to flit away from the attacking slayer, only to find herself unable to do so. Her surprise was quickly replaced by anger and the zanpaktou spirit lunged forward. Steel met in a spray of sparks and ice as the two females fought one another. The slayer dodged as the icy woman slung an attack at her. It wasn't as powerful as the ones she'd used against Ichigo last night and every attack had the Iron spoke burning a bit brighter. While her attacks grew stronger the brighter the spoke burned, Tatsuki noticed that the yuki-onna was suffering with each attack. Tatsuki jumped backwards as an especially strong attack came towards her only to stumble as Tamamo's curse took hold.

Only seconds had passed before Ichigo flickered over to rescue her. Each one had seemed like a lifetime as her slayer senses went completely haywire. It was a duller version of what she'd felt in the back of Urahara's shop, though the slayer was still sent to the ground with the feel of it. Tatsuki's breath couldn't began to catch up as Ichigo moved them out of each attack; never striking back because he held her instead of his sword. Damn him if he wasn't fifty feet off of the ground too! She couldn't even try to break loose and let him attack without dying. The pain shifted upwards from her abdomen towards her head whenever he jumped and back down again when he came to rest.

"No more solo fights," Ichigo jerked them out of the way.

"I hate this," Tatsuki held a bit tighter to his arm as jumped yet again. "Can we stop, please?"

"I'd love to, but..."

The entire fight stopped as Tatsuki began to empty her stomach onto the ground. Sode hopped back and gave them space as Ichigo drifted down slowly, careful not to let it get onto their clothes. She'd barely finished wiping her mouth before the next bout of icy attacks came at them and he bounded away. Oh yes, Tatsuki was going to kill the demon when she got back, and then she'd drag bait boy into nest after nest until she could justifiably stake his ass.

Ichigo stopped as Rukia's voice echoed through the little clearing.

The slayer's head was spinning and it felt as though something was trying to hatch out from inside of her skull. The added spiritual pressure of Seireitei wasn't helping; if she wasn't already leeching spiritual energy off of Ichigo she'd probably have gone down a while ago from the force of everything. Hopefuly someone in this crappy soul world would be able to do something about the curse that had been placed.

~!~

Ichigo was getting a bit tired of being told the same thing over and over again. He'd messed up. He realized that. Interestingly enough, the captains in front of him were giving him two different reasons for messing up. Joushiro and his side were upset he'd brought yet another mortal with him, and while understanding of the curse lain upon them both, seemed confused as to why he'd even be a target. The second reason had more to do with bring a Slayer to the afterworld. Despite the birthday incident, Ichigo realized that only a few people seemed to know What a slayer even was. One of whom was Unohana. The medic hadn't stopped attending to Tatsuki since they'd arrived in the meeting room and Tatsuki was looking at her with a great deal of respect.

Hanataro came into the room with a small case, ignoring everyone as he hurried it over to Unohana and Tatsuki.

"Unohana, is that..." Joushiro began to ask.

"It is," she answered sharply. It made the entire room fall silent. "Tsuki-chan and myself shared a common duty in life, and I will not let the actions of a demon and a fool ruin her so early."

"You were a slayer?" Ichigo asked. The look he received chilled him to the core; he'd never been on the receiving end of a slayer's true rage.

"Unohana was the first Slayer in Japan." Tatsuki accepted the vials being handed to her by the medic, no questions asked. "Of course, she was also an assassin before she was called, so she was marked as a dark slayer from the first moment and blacklisted."

"It was a different time," she medic smiled softly. "Remember, as soon as the first wave hits, take one, alright?" Tatsuki nodded and began to place the vials in her pocket, only to make a face. Ichigo found himself being scowled at by two slayers this time.

"Is there any way I could use one now and scrub down?" Tatsuki asked.

"What the hell is that anyway?" Ichigo asked.

"Seikuoki. When you look away or become separated from Tsuki-chan, and you will, she will use one of the vials to keep herself from becoming a permanent guest." The captain rose from her place beside Tatsuki and helped the younger to stand as well. Ichigo could kind of see it now. That easy grace and complete confidence that marked a slayer. "Seikouki is used by medics in emergency situations. When our energy runs out, we take one and can continue our duty. However, it has a downside, too many within a twenty-four hour period and we start to take on the injuries we are trying to heal."

"So no bath," Tatsuki sighed.

"I could wear a blindfold again. The curse doesn't work if I'm touching your skin."

He really needed to think before he spoke. The entire room had gone quiet as implications and innuendos erupted within the minds of the spirits. Kyoraku was wearing the biggest grin out of any of them while Joushiro looked rather shocked. Unohana didn't seem too surprised at all, instead giving Tatsuki a knowing look. As for Rukia, well, Ichigo was trying very hard to dodge her tiny fists.

"What the hell did I tell you about beating on people you S&M freak?" Tatsuki shouted at the small shinigami. She was still blushing from Ichigo's comment and every so often her eyes would catch his.

"I am not, you are completely misunderstanding the situation," Rukia managed to shout back.

"Misunderstanding my ass," Tatsuki snorted. "Last I checked this was an A-B situation, so you can just C your way out of it."

"Is there a bathhouse near?" Ichigo asked anyone who might listen; too many of them were watching the argument. "She gets testy when she's covered in...well. You know. Especially when she's been in ghoul for a few days."

"There's a bath beside my office," Unohana smiled. "I'm not sure I can do anything about a blindfold, though I can get something for Tsuki-chan to wear once she cleans up."

"I'm sure she'll thank you once she's done," Ichigo nodded as Hanataro was sent to fetch clothing. Ichigo almost wished the chain was back so he could tug Tatsuki out of the argument she was having with Rukia. A golden thread of energy shimmered between them as it had earlier that day and Ichigo wondered if it would work. It felt solid enough when he took it in hand, and when he gave it a quick tug, Tatsuki stumbled back towards him and away from her prey.

"What did I say about jerking me around?" Tatsuki scowled at him. Her voice had fallen to something just above a whisper as she scowled at him.

"I'm not jerking you around, I'm escorting you to your bath, oh Moon Princess," Ichigo took her by the wrist instead.

There was silence as they listened to the fading argument building between Kurosaki and Arisawa. Not a single captain in the room seemed to know what to say, and Rukia was very busy being calmed down by Renji.

"So, the curse between them, is supposed to make them resolve their issues?" Kyoraku asked the young Rukia. His question made her push her anger aside just enough to answer yes. "And...it was cast by a demon claiming to be a love guru?"

"So she claims," Rukia bit out. "However, there are some doubts as to if this is true or not."

"Tamamo never casts on mere friends," Unohana shook her head. "She deals strictly with soul mates. My husband and I fought it for three years before we resolved our issues."

The people within the room were quiet once more before getting back to their own curse.

~!~

Hanataro was waiting beside the bath when they arrived, Tatsuki in front while Ichigo watched the corridor and the leather pants in front of him. Tatsuki's anger had simmered into an low embarrassment by now and her words of thanks were polite and heartfelt. It was different than before, when he'd merely been chained to her. Following her inside was less of an obligation this time, despite the fact that there was so much more at risk.

"Just, close your eyes and I'll take care of the rest, alright?" Tatsuki wasn't looking at him as she set the silken robes down. She had felt his eyes on her the entire way, soft spoken directions given while she tried not to think about anything. Tatsuki placed a lock of her hair in his hands, hoping it would be enough, and watched as Ichigo closed his eyes and turned his back. It seemed to work, but she could feel his fingers playing with the strands while she unbuttoned her pants. The delicate nerves within each strand jumping as his thumb and fingers ran through. Good god but that was distracting. Tatsuki tried to ignore it as she slid the pants off, but then came a tricky part. She had to get her shirt off and there was no way of doing that without getting it past her hair.

"Crouch down and put your other hand out," Tatsuki spoke, keeping an eye on him as he did as told.

Ichigo did as told, wondering if Tatsuki might have been on to something before. He didn't like being bossed around, or punished for something beyond his control, but right now he was happy to have Tatsuki telling him what to do. For one, she was speaking to him without anger; instead she was nervous and almost shy. For another, he had a strange amount of control over her actions. She couldn't do a single thing without his help and every time he ran her hair through his fingers she'd sigh or . His thoughts froze when her skin came into contact with his hand. The soft and delicate skin of her ankle was under his fingers and he couldn't help but move them along. Her muscles jumped under his fingertips and the soft sound of her shirt hitting the floorboards made his fingers tighten against her skin.

Tatsuki's breath stopped when the rough callouses of Ichigo's fingers froze. Did he know how he was making her feel? She was completely exposed in front of him, bra dangling from her fingers while his light grip kept her in place. He wasn't even looking at her, but she could feel his energy dancing along her skin just as his fingers had been. Tatsuki took his hand into her own and led him over to the tub. Her heart was racing and her skin was on fire from it all. The slayer inside of her was waking up again, whispering that she really could just take him for her own. The only thing between them was rough, black cloth; Tatsuki focused on climbing into the bath and ignored the slayer inside of her.

Ichigo nearly opened his eyes when he heard Tatsuki hiss. Her fingers held just a bit tighter as she stepped into the hot water and steam filled their lungs as they sat down. He on the edge of tub while she sank into the water below him. Tatsuki set his hand on her shoulder and her pulse fluttered in time with his own. Hot water poured over their skin, eliciting a gasp from her as it sloughed down and a back into the tub. He wanted to open his eyes and see her below him in a sleepy eyed and breathless state. There wasn't enough warm, wet, skin beneath his hand. The water poured over his hand again and he wondered if Tamamo had meant for this to happen. Their dispute would have resolved itself and he'd be able to...

Tatsuki pulled the jade ring from her hair and shook it out, jumping when Ichigo's hands brushed it back and began to pick larger chunks from the strands. Each gentle touch and tug ran down into her flesh and across her skin. Tsubaki had claimed every feeling she inflicted upon others would return to her, but when had she done this? When had she ever interacted with the man behind her in way the wasn't fully reciprocated? The hand running through her hair slid down to her shoulder once more and the slayer knew she had to hurry before something permanent happened. She took his hand once more and dunked herself under the water.

He looked. A glance so brief that he might have imagined it. It might have been any dream he'd had since puberty had come upon them. Soft and rounded, perfectly toned in all of the perfect places and flushed from the heat, she was exactly how he'd always dreamed of her. Except there were bits of flesh floating in the water and Tatsuki had never been so pale. His dreams had never featured the scar either. The mark left by Sora that he'd seen less than a month ago was dark and angry against flawless skin. The guilt over that scar was far worse than the guilt her felt for peeking. He turned away when she pulled herself up from the water, though her knew exactly where the water was trailing along her skin. The inky mass that had been floating around her like a halo was clinging to her skin just as her hand was to his. He twined his fingers with her own when she leaned away from him; he wouldn't have released if her if he could.

The slayer glanced over at him before offering a lock of hair in exchange for her hand. The soap here was terrible, but she really needed to get the film off of her skin. Tatsuki stood up carefully and turned her back to the door before soaping up. His energy was trailing through her being once more, following the bar of soap across her skin as a wolf sought out a rabbit. He couldn't have known, but the way his breath changed gave Tatsuki her doubts. It lingered in places she'd tried to hurry through, never missing a detail as it...he learned her body. The slayer knew he was paying attention to every detail, listening to every breath and movement just as she was. His hold on her hair changed when she rinsed herself once more, looser and gentler as his hand moved back to her shoulder. The slightest pressure against her shoulder had the slayer closing her eyes and leaning forward.

A soft breath puffed past her lips as his thumb pressed just a bit harder against her skin. Her back was arching slightly and a damp hand took hold of his jacket as she swayed. His other hand shot out when she seemed to sway too far. Skin touched skin and both of them froze. Her hip was under hand and her hair was soaking through his clothing. They'd danced like this, moved against one another in the dark club while the beat pounded through their bodies. A heartbeat echoed against his own. Faster than his though no less hypnotic to his senses. Just as before, she pulled away from him. Psyche had taken her back and he was left standing as she ran. The touch of her fingers on his chest gave him some small hope; he could catch her.

The sound of water draining told him that their moment was done. Her fingers curled ever so slightly as she ambled out of the tub and once more he risked a glance through the hole in his blindfold. White linen was clutched to her front as she stared at the wall. Leather pants would never replace the image in front of him. She began to move and Ichigo closed his eyes once more as she handed him a strand of her hair.

Silk whispered across her skin as cords were tied and cloths were wrapped about her form. A soft curse came from her lips and Ichigo found himself very suddenly without his blindfold. Tatsuki was using it to tie her obi in place, scowling at the fabric as she made sure everything was perfectly in place. The slayer exhaled and adjusted her body before carefully twisting the obi around to the back. Unohana had sent over a simple, violet kimono dotted with sakura blossoms around the hem and the sleeves. The cream and brown stripes of her obi made her seem slimmer and smaller than she actually was. The whole of Seireitei could say Sode was the most beautiful there was; she paled in comparison to his ojou.

"The kid forgot to grab an obijime," Tatsuki pulled her new ribbon around to the front.

"I like it this way," Ichigo spoke as she reached for the jade ring from before. It was marked with runes and at least as wide as his palm, where before it had held tight to her braid. Her hair was pulled through the ring before Tatsuki spoke again.

"It completely clashes," Tatsuki snorted. She squeezed the ring and it cinched around her hair to make a high pony. "And a ribbon?" Even so, Tatsuki took the piece of indigo fabric and tied it around the base of her ponytail. Not long enough for anything else except maybe tying her hands together.

Ichigo shook his head and tried to focus on the task at hand. If he took her home, and they found Tamamo, he might be able to reconcile with her tonight. They could hunt again, and she'd need another bath... That wasn't helping. Nothing was helping so long as the golden strand of spiritual energy kept them together. He wanted a lot more than just a strand and he knew she must want more too.

~!~

~!~!~

~!~!~!~

Let it be known! I am in my senior year at University and the fact you got this at all is bordering on Miracle Status. There's another chapter of the Zanpaktou rebellion, but considering I started this mid summer, don't hold your breath. 21 pages for you and a steamy bath scene. Review ^_^


	18. Attraction

Hehehe, so, I realized I got my order of events mixed up, but hey, it can work around it. I'm a boss at rewriting timelines...usually. Also! Some revelations and hiding and blushing in this one :D So much fun.

~!~!~

~!~

"So, we're pretty much just attacking whatever happens to be attacking shinigami?"

"Pretty much," Ichigo nodded. They were walking through the streets of Seireitei, tracking down the energy of anything aggressive or chasing after anything explosive. Tatsuki in her furisode and Ichigo in his bankai, they made quite the image with oversized swords at their sides. Hers was a very odd one. It felt...not alive, but certainly something more than just a sword. No one could quite explain it and Tatsuki didn't feel like looking into it. They were partners and that was that.

"I wonder if i'll ever be able to wear a kimono without having some sort of catastrophe happen."

"Maybe at the rain festival," Ichigo suggested. "If we're lucky there won't be any hollows either."

Tatsuki snorted at that and continued walking ahead of him. The day there wasn't something to hunt in Karakura was going to be a strange one indeed. She'd be long dead before the vampires stopped swarming the place. Hell she'd probably be here by the time that happened. Maybe. Buffy and Faith mentioned that Slayers got a one way ticket to paradise, ignoring most if not all transgressions as payment for their sacrifice to humanity.

"You're not talking about a Real sacrifice, are you?" Ichigo asked.

"Was I talking out loud?" She was pretty sure she'd been internalizing that. A mumble at most.

"That or you were thinking really loudly." The two of them looked at the glimmering golden thread between them. It shimmered innocently. "I don't think I'll ever get used to the weird stuff in your world."

"What makes you think you'll be getting involved?" Tatsuki turned away and continued through the barracks of Ninth Division. "Beyond what's already happened, there's zero reason for you to do more than carry some holy water or wear a cross. I noticed Ohm symbols work too though..."

"What do you mean, no reason?"

"Well you've got your ghosty girl back and barely yesterday you were back to shutting anyone who wasn't a Ghost Facer out of the conversation completely. Never mind I was the one who got the witch bitch off our ass, no, I get locked out of the room because darling roach-bangs doesn't want to explain to a mere mortal!"

A wave of energy came upon them before Ichigo could argue back. Unlike when they'd first come across Muramasa, Tatsuki stayed upright, her energy refilled and a safety-net being thrown up around her by Midoriko of all things. So subtle and small that it hardly strayed form her skin, though strong enough that Tatsuki could actually stand her ground when the goth looking sword came upon them.

"You have really crappy fashion sense."

Ichigo gave her a look and she shrugged. It was true and sword-boy obviously wasn't too upset by it. Instead he was peering at the both of them with a perverse smile upon his lips.

"You're the mortals who injured Sode no Shirayuki. The substitute shinigami and his concubine." He raised his hand towards them and his smile widened. "You seem to like having your slaves chained up, Kurosaki Ichigo. I only care about one of them."

Tatsuki was being picked up again. This time she was holding onto Ichigo's back as he tried to attack Muramasa. Midoriko wasn't singing or humming. Tatsuki could feel the shield on her skin hardening into a shell every time their attacker got closer. Once or twice, Tatsuki had to raise the blade to prevent a side swipe from catching Ichigo unaware, but it wasn't helping them overly much. In fact, Tatsuki was ready to drop from his hold and risk the loss just so they could stay alive. She didn't have an option when Muramasa flung her away and into the wall. The world around her began to tilt and at first she thought it might be the force with which she hit the wall, but she watched as Ichigo fell victim to a tilting world as well. Only Muramasa seemed to function within it. Ichigo was only barely close enough to her, Eyes struggling between watching her and keeping up with the dizzying figure who came between them.

"Follow your instincts, and release your soul from this body. Discard your fear. Look ahead. Go forth. Do not stop. Turn back, and you will age. Hesitate, and you will die."

It sounded like something that could have been wise. It sounded like something Faith and Buffy might have told her. If you excluded the releasing of your soul. There wasn't any time to ponder it however, black and crimson energy was pouring out of Ichigo and into the air, allowing another creature to escape from within the beaten down form in front of her. Tatsuki closed her eyes to keep the dust away and let the energy flow around her instead of building a damn against it. It was worse than when Yammy had assaulted her, stronger and sharper, cracking the shield Midoriko had constructed around her until she was sure it would break through to her own soul.

The energy died away and when Tatsuki opened her eyes, she was surprised to find she was not only alive, but there was a woman kneeling in front of her with a parasol. A caricature of a geisha was in front of her with skin so fair it only barely qualified as that of a living being. Dark hair was pulled high upon her head and paper white blossoms hung in strands from each pin. Camellia's and chrysanthemums rest upon either side of her head and though her kimono was sheer, it was black as night and hung in voluminous folds to keep her modesty. The woman raised her carmine parasol and turned her head that Tatsuki and Muramasa would both see her profile. Another figure was standing beside Muramasa in a trench coat not too unlike Ichigo's. Ichigo himself was crumbled upon the ground, watching everything around him with a great amount of confusion.

"Your aim is off," The geisha rose from her position and extended her hand to Tatsuki. She looked kind, but very serious and slightly annoyed by the entire event. A bit like Tatsuki felt.

"Midoriko." The woman smiled and Tatsuki took her hand. "You look nice. Very forbidden."

"To most, I am," the geisha smiled. Her smile fell when she looked back to Muramasa. "Do try to keep your fights to yourself. I can't be expected to mind a such a boor."

"I did not expect my powers to have summoned a second," the strange man turned to them. "Would you really help her? The one who bound you to a mortal object?"

"I plan to mind my own business," Midoriko took a protective step back towards Tatsuki. "And keep the ojou from harm while Zan-chan and his boy finish what you started."

Tatsuki's vision was filled with black silk and crimson paper once more as something on the other side of the parasol crashed and slammed and yet more spiritual energy was thrown about. Muramasa was further away, but with Midoriko in her own visage, Tatsuki was starting to lose her energy once more. The parasol lifted and Midoriko pulled her to the other side of the fight. She was in Ichigo's vision again and even though Ichigo was getting knocked around by Zangetsu, she didn't feel the need or even the desire to get into this fight.

"Zan-chan?" she asked her companion. She didn't have a hard time believing Midoriko didn't want to fight her; Tatsuki had been the one who was summoned after all. "You're on a nickname basis with this guy?"

"Mm." Midoriko yawned lightly. "We've spoken a few times. Usually while you and the boy are asleep."

"Does he know you're a bakemono?" Tatsuki whispered as she gestured over to Muramasa.

"That peasant? Hardly. I've spent far too many years on a rack to let him take you out." Midoriko smiled kindly at her and Tatsuki could feel the joy coming off of the sword. "I've never beheaded so many things in my life!"

Tatsuki ducked as a chunk of building came towards them. Was it bad that what Midoriko had said made perfect sense, or that Tatsuki thought it made perfect sense? After all, swords were meant for battle, it should be natural that she enjoyed fighting and chopping things up. Better still that she didn't mind fighting demons. Tatsuki didn't usually mind either, in fact, she rather enjoyed breaking up the vampiric monotany with the occasional Oni or yurei. She glanced over at her partner and smiled. Even if she was crazy and slightly homicidal, she had someone who enjoyed being a crazy killer with her.

"Yeah, I'm crazy." Tatsuki leaned back against the wall and watched the boys fight. "Is it just me, or are both of them trying to keep an eye on me?"

"You're not that crazy," Midoriko answered. "Zangetsu is a part of Ichigo. Logically his gaze should keep you well."

"But that guy was saying...Never mind."

Ichigo was slung through a collection of buildings and a strong arm wrapped around Tatsuki's waist, pulling her along with the body it was attached to. Midoriko had raised her up onto the crumbling roof above Ichigo that they might watch without danger. Somethig was going very wrong though. Very, Very wrong. Ichigo's energy was whipping about in filaments until on caught onto Tatsuki. Then they all grabbed hold of her, reinforcing the golden curse that held them together even as something dark came out from beneath his skin. Just like the Arrancar who'd come to Karakura, Ichigo had the mask of a hollow and a hole in his chest. Yellow eyes darted around the battlefield, taking everything in before focusing on Zangetsu. With a mad cackle, he rushed forward, pulling Tatsuki along behind thanks to what he'd done to alter their curse. Midoriko was with her, back in her original form as Tatsuki was forced to push her slayer abilities to keep up and away from the boys.

"You've forced her back," Muramasa's voice echoed behind her.

"Like hell I did," She snorted, continuing to chase Ichigo and Zangetsu. The golden cord was being downright aggressive as it pulled her along behind the boys. "Have you ever tried to run in a kimono? It's fucked. Especially hers." She ducked as a chunk of something came flying at them although the burning heat of it told her it was far from some object. "Watch it you dumbass!"

The next mode of transportation had even Midoriko struggling to keep up with the fools. She flipped back into human form not only to help Tatsuki land the unreal leap Ichigo had made, but also to deflect one of Muramasa's attacks. Without a sword, the slayer couldn't do very much, and the madly cackling Ichigo was far from the best person to fight back to back with. Thankfully Muramasa realized that as well and switched over to Ichigo. Midoriko helped her to keep up as the trio fought, both of them pausing as another wave of black and crimson energy began to take over Ichigo's form.

It was almost like he was morphing into a demon, but the energy that solidified and swallowed him up didn't feel like youki. It felt like the deep darkness that he was constantly bringing up whenever he brooded. It felt like the darkness that crept into her dreams when he came by to check on her in the night. The biggest surprise came when the golden chain, wrapped as it was with crimson ribbons and strands of her own hair, turned into a fleshy appendage. Ichigo had grown a tail and the demonic form had decided to carry her about like King Kong. The harder she struggled to get out of it, the firmer his hold became, occasionally eliciting a growl that vibrated through his tail, her kimono, and down into the Slayer herself.

"Ichigo, I swear to god," She grit out as she started to regret ever letting herself get talked into coming to ghost world. The contact with the monster worked differently than when Zangetsu or Ichigo held her. This was more like having energy forced into her the same way a caveman might try to feed a modern woman. She clutched the constricting tail as Ichigo leapt forward and decided to make an executive decision.

"Ichigo, if you don't set me down right now," her words were cut off as they were both shoved backwards. "Ichigo-"

Ichigo had been struck by something and Tatsuki was suddenly wrapped up within beastly arms as they tumbled and rolled. A strange heat was coming off of the demon that was her companion, something not quite cold and too different from what she knew to be living. When they stopped rolling she opened her eyes to find bright yellow ones shining back at her. The glimmer of teeth was just below them while his limbs held just a bit tighter. Their assailant was waiting for them to uncurl, studying them just as the Slayer and the Hollow were testing each other.

"Let me go right now," she spoke, slow and as calm as she could manage. "I don't like being jerked around and you damn well know it." The beast that was Ichigo gave a strange shudder and tried to hold her tighter. "Let me go or I will run away just to spite you."

Yellow eyes flashed at her and a low rumble sounded deep in the chest of her captor. Something was happening behind his eyes, she could see it, feel it even.

The arms were letting go of her and the cage was disappearing, but the grip on her waist was still there as daylight broke them out of their little world; he could never let go of anything. His face was still staring into her own, eyes locked and daring the slayer to rise to the challenge. She had to shock him the hell out of this so he could either fight the pervert watching them or run away some place relatively safe.

Vanilla.

The taste of vanilla permeated his soul as Tatsuki kissed him. All of him. The ugly side and the side that she knew. The slayer was in front of him, annoyed and desperate and all of those things he always wanted. Soft, sweet smelling and sweeter tasting, he could feel himself falling back into who he was. Eat the thing inside of you she'd told him. It's part of you, make peace with it.

She was willing to kiss him.

The taste and scent of vanilla brought peace.

Tatsuki felt herself falling as the tail began to crack. Ichigo was cracking and for a moment she just knew that she'd broken him. It wasn't until the demonic visage had fallen from him completely that she was sure she didn't. The hole in his chest was normal again and his eyes were fluttering with exhaustion as he began to fall.

"Baby!"

The slayer hurried to keep him from hitting his head against the cold marble beneath them. She might tease him and scold his hardheadedness but she'd watched as he was flung through building and cut nearly in half. She'd been there as he was cut nearly in half this time around. His weight was greater than her own, taking her further down as he mumbled against her shoulder.

"Va...nil..la..."

"Idiot," she huffed, trying to ease them down.

"I think you should leave now," Midoriko's voice singsonged from someplace behind her. "The fight is over, and you have what you came for."

Zangetsu and Midoriko were both telling Muramasa to go away, arguing over the why even if they agreed on the result. The golden thread between them was warm against her skin as he fell further from the waking world. Threads of red silk and strands of inky hair were still wrapped about it if she'd cared to look but there was something in his rapidly closing eyes that had her attention. He knew. When this was over he'd decide to talk it out and she dreaded that more than the loss of her spirit.

His fall stopped and he braced himself above her, giving her a look that promised her fears would come true. Ichigo stood upright, pulling his sword in front of him and making eye contact with Muramasa. She would have stopped him if she'd known his spirit would start to flucuate so dramatically from a simple glance. Everything was going completely mad between them, and when Muramasa lifted his sword, Tatsuki tried to pull Ichigo aside. Midoriko filled her hands, zapping over the quickest way she knew how but it did little good. Again they were pushed back, but rather than suffering from the spiritual attack, Ichigo had recovered enough to forge through it. The wave of energy was pushed to either side of them when he'd moved in front of her. The dust cleared and both saw that it hadn't been Muramasa who attacked them, but Zangetsu.

"What the hell is your damage!" Tatsuki shouted from where she sat behind Ichigo.

"I have no damage, merely the desire to see which of us is stronger." Zangetsu's grip on his sword adjusted. "I want to see how strong Ichigo has become."

"So you're not trying to kill me?" Ichigo asked. He shifted further in front of Tatsuki, pressing more of his form against hers. "You just want to fight?"

"No. I wan't to know how far he must go before-"

"You fucking dick!" Tatsuki shouted. She rose to her feet and her infamous scowl mae Zangetsu's eyes twitch ever so faintly. She reached into her obi, still mumbling curses as she pulled out one of the syringes. "Kick his ass Ichigo."

The serum entered her blood and Ichigo made a noise while she and Midoriko took a perch atop one of the many columns. It had been so long since she'd been at her full strength that she'd forgotten what it felt like. Muramasa stayed down on the ground, thank god. She'd have kicked him off if he tried.

"We will figure it out," Midoriko assured her. "When we've finished here, and I've taken tamamo's head, we will break your curse."

"Will you still have your form in our realm?" Tatsuki asked.

"Mm, but it's harder to maintain there. Here? The whole place is made for spirits," Midoriko placed a hand on her shoulder. "Even if the peasant had touched on my instincts, I would have targeted him. He has a very pretty neck."

Tatsuki laughed and took her word for it. Looking down at the fight, she knew who would win. Ichigo had stopped arguing with himself and Zangetsu seemed to be too surprised to throw his all into the fight. She could see the both of them tiring though. From her perch upon the pillar she could see each move they made and most they were about to make. Muramasa only stood there, watching much as Tatsuki and Midoriko were, but with dark intent. The final blow was struck between Ichigo and Zangetsu, sending another wave of destructive energy towards them and causing slayer and bakemono both to hide behind the crimson parasol. She could see it rushing past them in a wall of black and crimson energy before it bled to white and over took the world.

Only when both were sure it had died down did they peek over the slightly burnt parasol. They were talking to one another before Ichigo caught her eye and waved her down. Good. She'd had to put some of her energy into the parasol too and the half dose she'd taken was starting to wear away with a vengeance. In fact, Midoriko had to help her find her balance when they landed. Full energy? Jumping was easier than pie and landings were always stuck.

"We are breaking this thing," she mumbled as they made their way over. "You're done now, right? Now more blatant disregard for the wellbeing of others? Or did you forget why we came here?"

"I am done," Zangetsu nodded. "There is nothing left-"

"I do not care," Tatsuki spoke easily.

"I'm afraid I do," Muramasa spoke up finally. "Zangetsu broke free of my control, while Geisha-hime merely used me. The two of you have gained my attention for more than simply embarrassing Sode no Shirayuki."

Midoriko whispered her opinion on the pale sword and Tatsuki couldn't help the giggle that came from her mouth. She didn't mean to. Truly she didn't. But she was getting a bit delirious and it was actually pretty funny to hear her risque partner call her rival Sode no Yuki Mei-inu. Funny and catty and she really needed to go and sit down for a bit. As she sat against a rock, Muramasa began coughing up blood and she began to giggle again. Whatever was in those shots was certainly not something she would like on a regular basis. Muramasa disappeared in a cloud of green glitter and Tatsuki nearly fell over from it all.

"Come on," Ichigo helped her upright. His eyes turned to Midoriko, focusing strictly on her face. "What are you?"

"I'm Ojou's partner of course," she smiled at him. Her parasol was twirling behind her as she watched Tatsuki giggle. "Don't worry. I'm a Slayer's sword. I've always been a Slayer's sword and I will continue to be by her side even when no one else is."

"Thank you," Tatsuki smiled at her. "I'm going to try really hard not to leave you under the couch again."

"We'll iron out the details later. For now, you should go rest."

Midoriko flickered and turned into a shapeless glob of energy before settling in Tatsuki's palm as a hair pin. It was almost exactly like the ones she'd been wearing and slid easily into the slayer's ponytail. She allowed herself to be lifted into Ichigo's arms a few moments later, watching as Zangetsu evaporated as well. She was hardly aware when they touched down outside of Unohana's office but certainly awake enough to realize she wasn't the only one who needed to rest.

Unohana had loaned her a brush to keep Tatsuki occupied while she waited. Because her energy was already so low, her recovery time was much quicker, a half hour nap and she was back on her feet. Ichigo however, he'd been sleeping for nearly an hour. She wouldn't need to speak until Ichigo woke up, and even then they would have some time before they were called in to talk to the captains. Midoriko and Zangetsu were both leaning against the wall; Perfectly innocent as they watched her wait for Ichigo to wake up. Every so often she'd look to see if another little spike in his energy meant his was waking up, but his breathing never changed, so she relied instead on the sound of that to let her know.

She paused, brush midway through as the energy stopped going back and forth. His eyes were still closed, his chest rising and falling steadily. So many scars she'd never seen before. The scars on his mortal body were few compared to these. One reached all the way across his chest to dip below the waistband of his pants. He was different here; more at ease and more comfortable in his role as a warrior. She adjusted herself, making sure to keep her thigh resting against his, and glanced over to see brown eyes staring back at her.

The brush fell from her hands as she gasped.

"Hey."

"Don't waste your breath on something so simple." She looked down at the fallen brush and debated putting it away when his fingers grasped a lock.

He wouldn't say anything else to her though. He simply lay there watching her.

"I don't think I like him. Zangetsu." She set the brush aside and looked over at the oversized kitchen knife. "He's so rude, and stubborn on top of it."

"He's always trying to kill me," Ichigo managed. Though they were small movements, his fingers were running along the tips of her hair, pulling her mind off track with each one.

"Self destructive," she shook her head.

Another moment passed, petals falling from the trees outside as the breeze carried the scent of smoke and injury into the room. It hardly phased her anymore. Rotting flesh and decay were so much a part of her life that she wondered if she'd ever smell just the petals again.

"Hueco Mundo, smelled like glass," Ichigo told her. "Cold sand, vampire dust. I could never figure out the last one, not until that night."

"You mean the one where I had to save your ass?" He made a noise of agreement and went back to playing with her hair. Waiting for her to talk if she so wished. "We can't go back. Yoruichi's missing and no one knows how we got here in the first place. Dawn apparently sent a memo out so I can't even try to get out via Watcher's Council."

"The girl from your birthday?"

"No." She didn't miss the way he avoided asking about her work. "That was Faith. She's the one who called me."

"Did you even meet before she picked you?"

"No. She didn't. Slayer's don't get to pick who's next in the lineage. We get called, we fight, we die, and the whole cycle starts over again." She turned to face him and ignored the questions she could see bubbling underneath. "The Slayer's Duty is passed on when the heart stops beating. The sooner we wrap this up, the longer mine will keep going."

"I'm not going to let you die." His fingers tightened and she exhaled from the sensation. Ichigo lightened his grip and looked at her. He knew. "I can't."

"You don't get to decide when my clock is up," Tatsuki argued. She would have pulled away if he hadn't brought her down to his level. "Let me go."

"No." For only waking up a few minutes ago he was pretty damn strong in this dimension. He didn't smell of smoke or blood, but spice and soap and steel. "I might not get to choose, but I can keep my promise."

"You already did that," she tried to pull back again. "Orihime's fine, the city's safe, they're all done."

"No, not all of them. You know that."

_Two children sat on the steps of Hinode Temple in their spring yukata and kimono. They were waiting patiently for their mothers to come out of the restroom...somewhat. No one would dare accuse Tatsuki and Ichigo of being patient at the tender age of six. _

"_Let's make a promise," Tatsuki spoke up as they waited. "Right here, so it has meaning and it's official."_

"_Official where?" Ichigo asked._

"_Who cares, in our hearts or souls, just make a promise with me!" Her tiny fist came down on his head and Ichigo was glad she didn't hit him hard enough to make him cry._

"_Okay, okay, what should we promise?"_

_Tatsuki thought for a moment and Ichigo couldn't tell if she was blushing or if the lights from temple were casting a glow on her cheeks. She barely turned to him when she decided what she would say; he didn't mind the time she'd spent thinking. Promises were important and she'd always looked really pretty in her kimono._

"_I know you want to be a champion, so, when you get really famous, I want you to come save me if I'm ever in a bind."_

"_What?" Ichigo asked. "Tatsuki, you're always the one saving me."_

"_I know, just...whenever in trouble, I want my hero to come and rescue me." Tatsuki looked up at the sky before fixing her eyes on him. "I want to experience that at least once." Their mothers were exiting the restroom now and Ichigo helped Tatsuki to stand. "Come on, promise me, before it's too late."_

"_Alright," Ichigo nodded. "I promise."_

"You're choosing now, of all times, to remember that?" Tatsuki asked. "Now?!"

"I'm choosing now to remind you." He pulled back to look at her. "I know I've been lying to you and hiding things-"

"Thats the same thing Ichigo," she tried not to shout at him. "Omission of the truth is a lie!"

"I would have told you!" He shouted back. "You saw the fit they threw when we first got here, and that's knowing we're under a spell."

"Big fucking whoop!" She pulled away as much as she could and glowered at the wall. Her eyes were beginning to sting with tears and there was no way in hell she'd start crying Now. "A bunch of dead asshats dictate your life now? Dictate my life? Do you know how many times I've almost died because of them?!"

"I tried to keep you out of it, yes," Ichigo admitted sharply. "You've said it yourself, you don't fight ghosts, it's not your business. I'm glad you're not a spiritualist, okay? I'm glad you weren't the one who was kidnapped and taken to Hueco Mundo because it meant you were safe."

"Don't," she cut him Slayer's Need was riding high and her own emotions were getting in the way of any logical thought process. "Don't fucking use that excuse. Not now-"

"Or you'll walk away to spite me?" Ichigo countered. He took a breath and tried to calm himself but their voices had been raised and an argument between the two of them was rarely quiet. "We can't keep doing this Tatsuki. How long are you going to punish me?"

"I hadn't set a real timeline on it!" she answered instead. Her arms had crossed but the sleeves of her furisode were making it tricky. "Every time I do something and you're there, forcing your way in as usual, I'm expecting you to bail. I've never worried about going up against something with you. I worry that at the first sign of any commotion here, right fucking here, you'll leave."

"Do you want me to stop?" Ichigo asked.

"Like you could stop any more than I could."

"Tell me what you want then! You've never been afraid to tell me exactly what you want, so tell me exactly what you want me to do." Ichigo moved to look her in the eyes and she ignored the flinch she saw when he did so. There was too much going on inside of her and the vague trail of tears was a dead giveaway that she was as invested in the conversation as he was. "How can I fix us?"

"Why? Why do you Care so much about Us? Why not have this talk with anyone else?" She was crying now. "You don't get to just choose when to be friends Ichigo! That not how it works..."

Ichigo pulled her against his chest and she was just far enough into her tears to let him do it.

"You're right, I can't stop fighting hollows, or sending ghosts, and I can't just get rid of the thing inside of me." His face was buried into her hair and warm breath was spreading across her neck and back with a strangely soothing warmth. "I can't stop helping you either. I won't. If you want me to stop coming here though, I will. I'll tell you every time and I'll be bait boy until the day I die."

"Then you'll have to come here," She tried to say. It was half joke and mostly tears.

"Nope. I'll linger. Or I'll find out where you've been placed and I'll go there. Go take over Hueco Mundo ad make them help me." He moved to look at her, she could feel it, but the sleeve of her kimono was doing as much as it could to wipe her tears away. "I'm not going to go anywhere you can't follow. Not anymore. I love you too much."

"You ass," she hit him in the chest. Right where his hollow hole was located. "You're such an ass!"

"I know."

"You're just, I can't even..." Tatsuki punched him again. "You're always doing this to me! Just bandaging it up and making everything simple and just being a magnificent ass!"

"It's true. I love you." He set his forehead against hers and his lips were brushing her cheek. "I fell for you way before you kissed me and called me Baby."

"You were supposed to be unconscious." Her words were muffled by the silk of her kimono as she tried to wipe away the lingering tears. She paused when the pad of his thumb brushed a drop of of her chin and chose to let him keep wiping them away instead. "It just kind of slipped out."

"Well, you've always called me that. Usually it was Cry Baby, or Big Baby."

"I'm going to keep calling you Ass then." Tatsuki's words came out in a shuddering breath and her face had turned enough that they were cheek to cheek. "I've never cried over anyone else. It's always you."

"I'm sorry." His lips were brushing against her skin with every word. "I promise not to make you cry ever again."

"Don't make such a silly promise," she shifted to her lips were on his jaw bone. "Women cry over men all the time; they forget their birthday or fill them with joy. I'm always going to cry because of you. Because I love you."

He hardly had to move to brush his lips against hers. Hardly any skin touched but those few cells that did were electric and the chaste action was filled with an intimacy far beyond what they'd ever known. Breath mingled while emotions could have been tangible as they grazed one another's skin. She could feel the beast inside of him just beneath her skin because her own was pushing to meet it.

"We can't go back," she whispered against his lips. "This could break everything."

"It won't," he spoke nearly as soft as the touch of his lips upon hers. "I don't want to go back to the way we were. Before doesn't let me hold you. It doesn't let me feel you in my arms or run my fingers through your hair."

His fingers did just that and she gasped against his mouth, taking half of the breath that was between them as Ichigo breathed her in. Her fingers clutched his jacket, pulling it apart and revealing the skin of his torso. Tatsuki spread her palm flat against his chest, feeling the heat and the muscle beneath as another brush of the lips took her mind. He was always so brash and she was so bold yet their kisses walked the line between timid and teasing. The motions slowed and Tatsuki felt him move closer hander her hands, felt the increase of pressure upon her lips, and the press of his hands on her back.

Ichigo kissed her fully then. There was need in the kiss that had only simmered in them before and she found herself in his lap as each allowed themselves to pour themselves into something that had been so long in coming. Her hands had slid beneath his clothing to find purchase on bare shoulders and one of his hands had gone to the base of her skull.

The Slayer inside of her was roaring and Tatsuki pushed herself back from him.

"We need to stop," she breathed out.

"What?"

"There's a pervert blowing things up and you have to go give a report," she tried to focus. "There's, there's sides of us right now...We have too much to do right now. We can't just ditch our duties."

Ichigo seemed to sober up, remembering where they were even though his scowl had little to do with Muramasa and the Gotei. Before she could rise he kissed her again and she nearly forgot that they had a duty at all until he pulled away.

"When we get back," he promised. He extended a hand so she could push herself up from his lap and followed suit once she was up and adjusting her kimono. The golden thread was no longer between them but there was a stronger link between them now.

"After we beat some sense into Tamamo," she wagged a finger at him. Her jade ring was holding her hair back once more while Midoriko's new form rest within the black silk. If one ignored her slightly swollen lips and flushed skin, she would have looked like she did before. "And find out about the Voodoo priest and find the rest of the ghouls."

"As the Bait Boy, I humbly suggest we take a nap after we get back." He opened the door that would lead them to the main meeting room only to see a collection shinigami staring at them.

"Your opinion will be considered," she gave him a small smile. "And likely rejected, because you're Bait Boy."

"Ah," he nodded. "Does Bait Boy get any sort of input into group activities."

"I'll put it to the committee," Tatsuki teased. "You're still probationary."

Ichigo was well aware of the looks they were getting from the shinigami who'd be waiting and apparently listening in on the entire event that had passed between himself and Tatsuki. Maybe they'd take a couple of cues from the thing and stop calling him in. Although, it hadn't really been Seireitei who'd called him in so much as Rukia. They'd talk about it once they got home, he was sure, but right now he wanted to end this whole debacle. They'd broken the curse between them and Tatsuki looked much healthier as she returned Unohana's emergency kit. Tried to at least. Unohana was very clear about keeping it aside until Tatsuki joined the 4th Division in the future. Of course, that had him wondering about when she'd go to reclaim it and if she'd remember him once she did.

"Kurosaki, how is it exactly that Muramasa gained control of our swords?" Unohana asked after they'd all sat down at the table. He'd been rather deep in thought when she askedd, enough so that he didn't even realize his teacup was full or that they'd sat at the table.

"It's not quite that simple," he answered. This he knew, tactics and fighting; slayer stuff...he did not. "Muramasa's power isn't psychic, not really. It's more that he finds what's making a zanpaktou unhappy and uses it to lead them on. In order to get our Zanpaktou back, I realized, we need to fight them and have them surrender to us once again."

There was a question in Tatsuki's eyes but she remained silent next to him. He'd actually been expecting her to have an outburst given her past behavior. Then again, everyone at the table was silently thinking about it. Given how intense Ichigo's own fight had been, and considering the power of the captains around him

"In any case, we found a way to solve the issue." Ukitake looked very pleased. "So thats good."

"Yeah, but..." Kyoraku was not asleep as Ichigo had suspected. "It's going to take a lot of time for all of us to find our Zanpaktou and make them surrender to us. I doubt the enemy will stay quiet while we do that."

"We've got to do it anyway," Ichigo spoke.

A knock sounded at the door, gathering everyone's attention. A familiar and very friendly voice sounded from behind it causing Ichigo smile ever so faintly before worrying again. Last time Tatsuki had met Renji it hadn't worked out so well. When the redhead walked in, without waiting for an answer, he didn't do so alone. Behind him was a very busty and wild looking woman clad all in green fur and a floating kid all in white. The chain around their waists was strange too, then again, hardly a day ago he'd been in the exact same position. It also made Ichigo miss the golden thread that had linked he and Tatsuki together.

"What did you want?" Renji asked. He looked to have just woken from a nap, light bruising and a few healing scrapes on his body. His companions looked equally as, if not more grumpy and tired.

"I heard you made your Zanpaktou surrender," Ukitake spoke. "I called you here to find out if you learned anything from them."

"Ah," Renji nodded. "They don't really remember anything though."

"Yeah," the furry woman humphed, looking away.

"I'm hungry Renji!" the child whined.

Ichigo watched as Renji's Zanpaktou began to hassle him. Who else could annoy him so easily? Maybe that was too easy a question. Within just a few seconds, Renji was chasing the childlike aspect of zabimaru around the room chain flying to and fro while everyone else either sat stone still or ducked the dual projectiles. Renji nearly faceplanted on the table when the kid hopped away too fast.

"My, you're just full of energy," Unohana smiled at the man in front of her. Something in her smile clicked and Ichigo could see Tatsuki start to grin. "But this is Squad 4's barracks, and you musn't run around like a child..."

Knowing now what she'd told them earlier, and having spent some up close and personal time with Tatsuki recently, Ichigo knew what the Slayer felt like. Unohana was still a warrior and an assassin. She still knew how to kill and terrify her opponent just as Tatsuki knew how to heckle them until they lost control of themselves. For just a second he worried that Tatsuki might turn into a terrifying nurse. Her hand was still in his though. If she did turn into some nightmarish killer nurse, at least he knew he'd deserve it if she decided to kill him, and hopefully she'd make it quick.

"You look a bit uneasy," Kyoraku teased him as Renji slid off the table.

"Not uneasy," Ichigo shook his head. "Just...planning ahead."

"I just noticed there's someone else here." Renji was looking at Tatsuki as someone might look at a princess or an interesting bug. "Who's she?"

"Your memory is worse than his," Tatsuki scoffed. "Remember when I threw you out of a window at school?"

His eyes narrowed for a second before widening. "That loudmouthed Tomboy?" He pointed at her. "What are you doing here? Ichigo, why did you bring some girl with you?"

"It's actually really kind of complicated and very simple all at once," Ichigo moved between Tatsuki and Renji. "We had this curse on us, and it would only break if we made up-"

"If this wasn't a hospital I'd kick your ass again," Tatsuki cut in.

"I'd certainly like to watch that," Unohana was smiling again. "And I'm very glad Tsuki-chan is so kind as to remember what I said." She didn't give her scary smile this time but she did turn to Tatsuki. "I am very curious though. All reports said there were two women wandering during Kurosaki's fight. I also seem to remember you're coming here with a sword in hand."

"Do you have a zanpaktou as well Arisawa?" Kyouraku asked from his side of the table.

"Midoriko? She's been sentient for centuries," Tatsuki waved it off. Obviously no one was satisfied with that answer and Ichigo was really quite curious himself. Sighing slightly, Tatsuki took a deep breath and pulled Midoriko from her hair. "She's a bakemono. When an object reaches a certain age or they've accumulated enough energy and power, they grow a spirit. Sometimes the spirit is strong enough to change their shape, even have children, other times, they become cursed or lucky. Other times they're just a nuisance."

"Truly?" Kyoraku asked. "Your sword grew a soul?"

"How do you think souls are created?" Tatsuki asked as though it were obvious. " Ichigo hd to beat Zangetsu to get him back, but Midoriko merely wished to remain as my partner. When she took part in the fight, it was because she wanted me to be safe. If I were to die, she'd be stuck here and she wouldn't be able to behead things anymore."

"That's creepy," Ukitake managed.

"It's the second best way to make sure something is dead," Tatsuki shrugged.

"The second best?"

"Salt and fire," Unohana smiled. "It purifies both the tainted form and the twisted soul."

"Although, I did kind of ram a cold iron needle into Sode no Yukionna."

Tatsuki pondered that while Unohana explained the meaning of the action to her peers. Ichigo had known about the first and second methods ever since they started hunting Ghouls. He hadn't known why though. He hadn't known that Midoriko was a new born soul either. Would his necklace grow a soul? He was constantly putting off energy and the silver would surely last long enough that it might gain some kind of consciousness. He hoped it wouldn't go evil, or get a little...interesting like Midoriko had.

"Can I see her?"

Ichigo jumped when the red haired kid slid up between himself and Tatsuki.

"Not here, it would be disruptive."

Renji didn't hold back his snort at her words.

"Perhaps after you've visited Rukia," Unohana suggested. "She ran into Sode no Shirayuki again after you left. It would be good for her I think to see familiar faces."

"Are you still tired?" Ichigo helped Tatsuki out of her seat. He didn't want to ask if she was okay with him seeing Rukia and he didn't want to just take her there so soon after everything that happened.

"No, I'm fine." She paused for just a moment before turning to Unohana. "Are my clothes clean by any chance?"

"They are." Unohana gave her a smile that seemed to be reserved only for a few people.

"I'll catch up with you," Tatsuki nodded to him. "I want to get out of this, it's not so easy to move around in."

~!~

She understood that she was surrounded by warriors and fighters. Really she did. They were really stupid though. And they kept asking about the fight she and Ichigo had like it was some fascinating thing that had never happened. Or trying to pick a fight with her or see Midoriko or nearly passing out from blood loss. Okay, so the last one was pretty good. Ichigo had nearly passed out when she met up with the boys outside of the squad 4 barracks and she was pretty sure most of the guys she'd passed had walked into something. Ikkaku had actually slipped and cut himself before saying something smartassed about their argument earlier.

Ichigo kicked a wall down and she could have groaned from the frustration of traveling through the land of the dead with a couple of idiots. He'd been kicking things since they started travelingand she understood why, there was a door less than a yard away. The rubble landed on a mountain of a man to bring them directly into the middle of someone else's fight with their zanpaktou.

"Oops. I must have kicked the wall too hard." He didn't sound apologetic at all.

"That's fine," Ikkaku waved it off. "It's just Omeada. Go kiss your girlfriend, she looks angry."

Tatsuki blushed and hopped up onto the roof to watch them fight instead. She was going to enjoy something while she was here dammit. If her memory was correct then the bald guy was pretty good in a fight. Ichigo came up to sit next to her when the tanned redhead started a fight. He wasn't trying to kiss her, rather, he was leaning back on the roof and watching the fight.

"Careful, I might think you're trying to be a bird."

"Nah, just wanted a good seat...What the hell are they doing?" She leaned closer to watch the very strange ritual going on. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Lucky dance!" both shouted back to her.

"Lucky What?" Ichigo shouted down.

"Eh? Seriously? I can't believe you forgot, I showed you this dance when we first met Ichigo!" Ikkaku looked not only hurt but incredibly and comically angry as well.

"You did?"

"Will you two just fight already?" Tatsuki called down. "I'm getting bored!"

Tatsuki was never going to try to egg on a fight again. Not if it resulted in one coming to her. A large steel ball came flying at herself and Ichigo and ruining the wall they'd been sitting on. An ugly fat toad-man was holding tight to the chin at the other end of the ball and grinning at them.

"What the hell?" Tatsuki shouted. "Don't just attack someone."

"It's your fault for not paying attention in battle," Toad scolded.

"I'm a spectator thank you," she put an offended hand to her chest.

"A spectator is just a coward." If she wasn't offended before she sure as hell was now. "Weaklings lose and winning is all that matters!"

Tatsuki's eyes narrowed at him and started forward, pulling Midoriko from her hair and bringing her into full form. No one called her a coward, dead or soon to be so. The slayer flicked Midoriko out of the scabbard and waited for the next attack to come at her. It came as a cloud of dust and dirt exploded from the direction of Ikkaku and his ginger opponent. It was just too easy to flick the Slayer on and fight this guy. Throwing things and then hiding in the shadows like some wannabe ninja. The next one flew at her and Tatsuki swung to grab hold of the chain. This was too easy and much to boring. He couldn't even abandon his weapon without her being able to follow; proof was when he yanked hard on it and she flew at him with a grin. A quick licker of the wrist would have him gutted, beheaded, and number of things. Instead she Floated past him and slammed Midoriko into the back of his skull.

"Is he broken?" Tatsuki asked Ichigo. He was much closer to the ground.

"No, he's just unconscious. Luckily Omeada broke his fall."

Ikakku flew through the wall Tatuki was standing on and into the stairs behind Ichigo. She wasn't so sure his fight had been one at all now. She glanced behind herself to see the zanpaktou jump up behind her and grin before rushing forward. Slayer speed helped her down tot he ground and Ichigo made sre she didn't break herself. She didn't get of of him though, not completely. She could feel others coming closer to where they were.

"Hold on," she whispered.

"What?"

Sure enough, a troupe of men and women dressed all in black had surrounded them all, focusing on Ikkaku and his man after recognizing Tatsuki wasn't a threat. Ukitake and Kyouraku were there too, along with some short woman she'd hadn't met yet. There was no messing around right now and the ginger obviously knew it. Ichigo was pulling her out of the circle with a look she knew quite well. It was the look that meant he had a plan involving quite a bit of blood.

"Who is that?" she asked quietly when they'd escaped the circle and had gone to the edges of the courtyard.

"Soi Feng," Ichigo answered. "She's in charge of the special ops, the big guy's boss."

"Hmm," she nodded.

Big Red chose that moment to make a break for it, slamming his weapon down with enough force to distract the officers and running past Ichigo and Tatsuki. Of course they were going to chase him down. It was kind of what they did. Chasing monsters and saving people.

"Does he count as a monster?" she asked.

"I don't think so," Ichigo sped up just a bit, smiling slightly when she matched him. "We can't really kill him anyway, Ikkaku has to beat him."

"Can he?" Tatsuki asked.

Big Red skidded to a halt in front of them, turning to face them with a grin as battle hungry as Ikkaku's had been. His weapon was out in front of him and Ichigo was already standing with Zangetsu out in front.

"I remember the last time we fought Kurosaki," he grinned. "I'm much harder to beat than my master though."

~!~!~!~!~!~

~!~!~!~!~

Oh my god. I've updated. It's surreal, isn't it? The big fight happened Way closer to this event than I planned it out, but it's working better this way, They are working better this way. As always, leave a review!


End file.
